Listen To Your Heart
by iluvlove87
Summary: After the ravine fallout, Jay still cannot stop thinking about Emma, but can she ever truly trust a bad boy? And, will her parents ever see him as anything other than the guy who gave their daughter a social disease?
1. Chapter 1

**Background: This takes place just a few days after the episode, _Secret_, and the fallout that occurred after Emma and Jay's ravine incident. Everything leading up to that episode remains the same, but forget everything that happened after, as you watch my version unfold.**

Emma was dragging her feet as she walked to school this morning. She was dreading going, because people were still talking about her and Jay and the gonorrhea outbreak, but her mother was making her go to school today because she knew Emma would have to face things sooner or later. While Emma was busy being mad at her mom and scared to step foot inside Degrassi, she barely even noticed the blaring music coming toward her. Yet, notice it, she did.

"Go away, Jay!" Emma spat.

Jay was driving alongside her in his orange civic. "Why don't you just let me drive you to school?"

"No! I don't want to be anywhere near you. Not now, and not ever!" she shouted.

Jay was not giving up that easily. "Come on, Nelson! You're gonna be late, if you don't let me drive you."

Emma looked down at her watch. Jay was right, she had been a little too good at delaying her return to school this morning and now there was no way she would make it on time by foot. The last thing she needed was Snake reporting her tardiness, on her first day back, to her mother later. So, she said, "Fine, but it's just a ride. I don't feel any differently about you."

Jay sighed heavily. "Ok, I get it, just get in already!"

As Jay and Emma pulled up to Degrassi, Emma was relieved to have gotten through the entire car ride without saying one word to Jay, until…

"Emma?" Jay asked, rather timidly.

"Yeah?" she asked back, hesitantly.

This was it. This was his one shot. "Could you meet me at the Dot after school today?"

"Why?" she asked, now extremely annoyed.

Trying to keep his cool, "I just thought we could talk…about everything."

Emma heard the bell ring and was so desperate to get out of that car and to class with minimal contact with other people that she finally just said, "Ok, fine, I'll meet you there after school. Now, we're going to be late, so bye." She ran to class trying not to notice the staring and the whispers.

Jay finished parking his car, then, casually walked to class smirking and feeling proud of himself. He actually got Emma to, at the least, hear him out. She was the one girl, out of all the ones he had ever hooked up with, for him to feel an actual connection with. Not even Alex had made him feel the way he did when he was around Emma.

**I wrote this way back in 2006, but I just discovered this website a few weeks ago and decided to edit the story and share the new and improved version here. This is also the first time I am using actual story format (I am used to script format), so please bear with me, as I am still learning. I hope you like it so far! Please read and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

As school was coming to an end for the day, Emma found herself actually becoming a little bit excited to be seeing Jay soon. She argued with herself for a few minutes…

'Why do I have butterflies in my stomach? Jay is a big jerk, who couldn't possibly be happy with just one girl, ever. Oh, but he's so gorgeous and extremely charming! He can be sweet, sometimes, I guess…He did offer me a ride this morning…What am I saying? He used me and Amy and who knows who else to serial cheat on his now ex-girlfriend, Alex! He's a loser…I think, I might like him. Ugh, I don't know what to think!'

Manny noticed that Emma looked pretty flustered during class so she walked up to Emma, who was now at her locker, to check on her.

Manny approached Emma a bit cautiously. "Hey, Em."

Emma was clearly bothered by the person speaking to her. "Manny." she said, flatly. She was still a little angry with Manny after the fight they had about Emma and Jay's hook-up, just days earlier. However, Emma also knew that Manny was right and she had been battling with herself because of it.

"Look, Emma, I know you're still mad at me, but I just wanted to see if you are ok. You seemed a little distracted in class, today."

"You're right, Manny. I am still mad at you."

"Come on, Emma, I was just concerned about what you were getting yourself into."

"…" Emma was not ready to concede, yet.

"Will you just tell me what's going on with you today?" Manny asked, desperately wanting her friend back. "Please, Emma?"

Emma finally gave in and sighed. "I think Jay asked me out, this morning."

"What do you mean, you think?" Manny asked, taken aback.

Emma was wringing her hands, nervously. "Well, he asked if we could talk at the Dot today, after school."

"What did _you_ say?"

Emma braced herself for a new blowout. "I said…y-yes."

Manny stared at her with a look that screamed 'What were you thinking?'

"I know, but he caught me off guard, and I was going to be late for class if I didn't say something fast." Emma explained, defensively.

Abruptly switching gears, "Well, maybe you guys _should_ talk." Manny offered.

Emma was now highly confused. "Huh?"

Manny tried to clarify. "I mean, yeah, Jay's pretty much scum and it would be a lot easier to just never speak to him again, but I think it would be good for you to hear what he has to say. Then, maybe, you could put this whole thing behind you."

Emma suddenly felt better about her decision to meet up with Jay. "If you really think I should…Thanks, Manny!"

Manny smiled. "What are friends for?...We are still friends, right?"

"Of course, we are. Neither of us ever were very good at staying mad at each other. Now, I should go. Jay's waiting." Emma started to walk away.

"Just be careful, Em!" Manny yelled after her friend, before Emma disappeared from sight.

**Please review! I love to know that people are reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yay! I am so happy that people are reading! Please keep the reviews coming and I promise to keep the posts coming! Enjoy!**

While Emma walked to the Dot to meet Jay, she tried to rationalize what she was about to do.

She thought to herself, 'Is this a date?...No, we're just going to talk. Manny's right, Jay is scum! Do I even want to do this? What if he just wants to hook-up again? Whatever, I'm just gonna go in there, see what he wants, and then I never have to even think about him again.'

As Emma walked up in front of the Dot, she took a deep breath, then walked in. Jay was sitting at a table across from the door. When Emma walked in, he looked up. Emma's hair glowed in the sunlight just before the door shut behind her. She took Jay's breath away for a split second.

Jay smirked his infamous smirk, regaining his composure. "Hey Greenpea-."

Cutting Jay off, Emma rolled her eyes and turned around to leave.

"Emma, wait!" He jumped up and ran to her.

"No, Jay, I knew this was a bad idea!"

"I'm sorry, okay? Just sit down with me. Please?" he said with cute puppy dog eyes.

Helpless to resist those eyes, Emma spat out, "Fine!" She was frustrated with both Jay and herself.

Jay walked her to his table and they both sat down.

Emma leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why am I here, Jay?"

"Because you can't resist me." he said playfully.

"Don't hold your breath on that one." She had tried to sound convincing, even if what Jay said was a little bit true.

"Okay, but seriously, I want you to know that I am so sorry for everything I put you through." Emma had to admit that Jay did sound more sincere than she had ever heard him be before. "I'm the one who sent Rick over the edge. Then, you turned to me when Sean left, and I let it go too far. I was so preoccupied with having fun, but I just made you feel even worse about yourself in the process."

"So you realize how badly you messed me up, and you're sorry, but what do you really expect me to do now? Forgive you? Maybe give you another chance? Well, I'm sorry, Jay, but it's not that easy." She stood up to leave.

He stood up too and gently grabbed Emma's arm. "Come on, Nelson! I have real feelings for you. You're different than the other girls I've…_spent time _with, and I know you've felt something too. You wouldn't be here, if you didn't."

Emma was flabbergasted. Who did he think he was, getting into her head like that? "Maybe I did…But, why should I believe you?" She thought about everything that had happened in the past couple of weeks. "I was just another hook-up to you, wasn't I? I mean, I don't know if I could ever trust that you could be happy with just me. You had Alex, but you still went to the ravine almost every night. How do I know it wouldn't be like that with me? Could I ever be enough for you, if we were to be…together?"

"Trust this." He pulled her into a gentle kiss.

Emma hesitated for a moment, but then, put her arms around Jay's neck. They shared a long passionate kiss.

When Emma finally pulled away, Jay admitted, "I've never had a kiss like that with Alex or any other girl for that matter."

"I've never had a kiss like that either, but Jay-."

He cut her off. "Emma, stop. Obviously there's nothing I can say to change your mind about me, but look me in the eyes and tell me something. Can you honestly say you don't want to at least try to make us work?"

Emma looked at Jay. She felt the intensity and compassion in his eyes. "…I guess I'm willing to try." she confided, quietly.

They both smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here is a present, two posts, because chapter 4 is extremely short, yet extremely enjoyable! Also, no post tomorrow, because I will not be near my computer...Happy reading these next 2 chapters! And, as always, please review!**

(In the car as Jay drove Emma home)

Jay was the first to break the awkward silence. "Look, I know it's going to take a while to earn your trust, but I _will_ make sure it happens."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." He smirked. "We'll just take it slow and sooner or later you'll know, just like I do, that you are all I need."

Emma closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again. "I really want to believe that."

Jay stopped the car in front of Emma's house. "So, I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Okay. Thanks for the ride." She went to open the car door when Jay gently grabbed her waist and pulled her back toward him. She closed her eyes and felt his arms around her.

With Emma's back to Jay, he lifted his head over her left shoulder and whispered in her ear. "You're the only one I want." He let her go.

Emma opened her eyes and mouthed 'wow' with her back still turned to Jay. She was stunned by the intensity she had just felt. While still a little dazed, she managed to say, "Um…Okay, bye, Jay." Then, she finally stepped out of the car.

Jay chuckled a little at how out-of-it she seemed. Emma leaned back into the car and kissed Jay on the cheek. He smiled. Emma shut the car door, and walked inside her house. After the door to her house closed behind her, Jay drove off.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, Mom, I'm home!" Emma yelled as she walked in the door to her house.

"Hey, Sweetie, did you have a good day?" Spike yelled back from the kitchen.

Emma giggled. "Uh-huh."

"Do you want something to eat?" her mother asked.

"No thanks, I'm just gonna go down to my room." Emma replied while still in a dreamy state.

"Ok, honey. Oh! One of your friends came by and is waiting for you down in your room."

"Thanks, Mom!" she yelled to Spike and then walked down to her room with her head held high and a huge smile on her face the entire way down the stairs.

"Hey, Em!" came a voice from someone sitting upon Emma's bed.

Emma snapped out of her daze in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to know how it went with Jay."

"Oh, Manny," Emma said a tiny bit annoyed because she had been hoping to be alone with her thoughts for the evening, "you couldn't have just called to ask?"

"Uh…No! I want to hear all about it, face-to-face!" Manny, the gossip queen, Paige's, apprentice, said excitedly. She could not wait to hear all the gory details.

"It was…nice." Emma sighed, remembering.

"Wait…Are you sure?" Manny asked, confused. "I mean this is Jay we're talking about, right? Did you hit your head?"

Emma laughed. "No, I'm fine…Listen, you don't have to approve, but I've decided to give Jay a second chance with me."

"Are you nuts?" Manny scolded. "What changed your mind? Earlier today you were all set to chew him out!"

"Oh, I did," Emma said, defending herself, "but he was so understanding about how hurt I was and he said that if I gave us another chance, he would work hard to earn my trust back."

"Well, this should be interesting." Manny's words dripped with cynicism.

"Manny, he kissed me and it was like really intense. I have never felt a kiss like that before and he said he hadn't either."

Convinced that her friend was just being extremely naïve, she added, "What about all the other girls, Emma? Jay's a user!"

Emma daydreamed back to being in the car with Jay. "He said I was the only one he needed or wanted."

"And, you believe him?" Manny asked skeptically.

"I'm not sure," Emma answered, honestly, "but I want to so badly!"

"Well, I don't trust him any farther than I can throw him, but I do trust your instincts. So, if you believe there's something about Jay Hogart that is worth your time, then I guess I do too…but I'm watching him!" she added protectively.

Emma smiled. "Thanks, Manny! That really means a lot." She pulled Manny into a hug. "Do you want to stay over tonight? We can walk to school together tomorrow."

Manny nodded affirmatively. "Yeah, okay. Now, I want full details on that kiss and anything else like it that happened today!"

They both giggled. They talked for a while and Emma told Manny everything about her afternoon with Jay. Spike came down, once, to check on them and Manny called her parents to tell them she was staying over at Emma's. The two friends finally fell asleep after a little more girl talk.

**More is coming soon! Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Manny and Emma walked to school together. Jay decided he would go to _all_ of his classes today in hopes that he would run into Emma in between a few of them. As fate would have it, Emma and Manny were walking down a hallway, in between two classes, when Manny spotted Paige.

"Oh, there's Paige!" Manny said, eagerly. "I need to talk to her about some Spirit Squad stuff."

"Okay, I'll see you later!" Emma waved goodbye to her friend.

Manny left Emma and walked over to Paige.

Now alone, Emma turned the corner and there he was. Jay was leaning against his locker talking to some of his friends. When he saw Emma come around the corner, he could not help but stare.

"Earth to Jay!" a friend of Jay's shouted while waving a hand in front of his face.

Jay finally blinked. "What? Did you say something?"

"Man, what is with you, today?" his friend demanded.

Jay looked over at Emma. "She is." he replied with a smirk and walked over to her.

Jay's friends were left standing by his locker, a bit confused.

Emma smiled and stopped walking when her eyes met his. "Hi, Jay."

"Yeah, hi." Jay said in a 'whatever' kind of tone.

Before Emma knew what was happening, Jay had pinned her against the wall gently yet firmly so that she could not move, not that she wanted to. He leaned in closer and kissed her. A few seconds later, he backed up, leaving her wanting more.

Emma did not even have a chance to recover before Jay asked, "So? What are you doing tonight?"

She finally opened her eyes and regained her composure. "Well, it_ is_ Friday night. I might just have big plans." she said, trying to tease him.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure." he said, sarcastically.

"Uh!" she huffed and smacked his arm playfully.

Jay rubbed his arm, pretending she had hurt him. "Well, I don't want to get in the way of your _big plans_, but I was wondering if you wanted to go to a party tonight?"

Emma's internal alarms suddenly went off. "Hmm, I don't know…Will there be a van?"

Jay laughed. "No, no van. It's a house party."

"Whose house?" she asked, still hesitant.

"Mine." Jay replied, plainly.

"So, will I know anyone there?" She had made up her mind to say, yes, in that moment, but she was enjoying how flustered Jay was becoming with each new question she asked. Jay was not used to girls hesitating when he asked them out. So, now, she was just having a little fun with him.

"You know, me." He definitely seemed to be struggling with her reluctance to give in to him.

She played on. "Can I bring Manny?"

"Yes, bring whoever you want," he said, exasperatedly, "as long as you come! You're ruining my image here. Come on!" he practically begged.

Emma laughed in victory of having successfully messed with Jay Hogart, once again. "Okay, okay! I just like to watch you squirm." She grabbed his face and pecked his lips with hers.

"So you'll come?" he asked, making certain he had finally won her over.

Emma smiled and nodded. "Yes! What time?"

"7:30." Jay replied.

She made a mental note and started to walk away. "Okay, I gotta go to class, now."

"Oh yeah, class. Okay, later!" he yelled after her.

Emma disappeared around the corner.

Jay looked over at his friends, who were still standing against the lockers and now laughing at Jay for letting a girl tease him like that. Jay walked over to them and smacked one of them on the back of the head. Jay mockingly laughed and then snapped a, "Shut up, guys! You're just jealous because you don't have a girl as hot as mine." He walked to class, very proud of himself.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I would love to hear what you think, so far! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed to this point!**


	7. Chapter 7

School was finally out for the weekend with the sound of the final bell on Friday afternoon. Emma saw Manny walking down the hall ahead of her. She briskly walked up and linked arms with her.

"What are you doing tonight?" Emma asked, feeling a little giddy.

"Well, I was thinking about doing something with Darcy." Manny answered honestly.

"Wouldn't you rather go to a house party with me?"

"Oooo! A party! Whose house?"

Emma expected a less excited reaction as she answered, "Jay's."

Manny instantly deflated. "Oh Emma, I don't know…"

"Please, Manny? I need you! Jay really wants me to go but I need my best friend there. I just don't want to go alone." She pouted her lower lip out.

"Alright, I guess I can go with you. I do love to party."

Emma returned her lip to its natural position and grinned from ear to ear. "Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She hugged Manny then backed away. "Okay, so, meet me at my house at 6:30, and if you want, tell your parents you're staying over for the night again."

"Okay, bye Em. I'm gonna go home and get ready!"

*6:15 in Emma's room*

Emma was pacing around the room waiting for Manny to come and help her finish her look. She was wearing low-rise black pants, a white tank top, and a long sleeved, black, shrug that tied in the front just below the bust-line. Her hair was down and straight and her make-up was conservative and natural-looking. If anyone knew how to kick her look up a little, it was Manny.

*6:32*

"Manny! Thank goodness you're here!" Emma exclaimed, frantically. "I need you to make me look so irresistible that Jay won't want to look at any other girl but me."

Manny was thrilled with the request to makeover her best friend. "Okay, let's start with your outfit." She rummaged through Emma's stuff. "Here, put this on." She handed Emma a silver, glittered, belt. "Now, your makeup. You need a little more edge to it." She gave Emma some black eyeliner, peach colored eye-shadow that had some sparkle to it, darkened her blush a bit, and topped it off with a dark peach lip gloss. "Now for your hair."

"You are having way too much fun with this." Emma observed.

Manny smiled. "Hey, I'm just doing what you asked. When I get done, Jay won't be able to take his eyes off of you. Now, your hair." She gave Emma a couple of soft curls on the top layer of her hair. "There. You look totally hot!...Wait! Put these on!" She handed Emma some plain, black, boots with pointy heels. "Ok, now, I'm done. It's still very you with just a little something extra."

"I love it, Manny! Thank you so much! I just hope Jay likes how I look."

"How could he not?" Manny looked down at her watch. "Um, what time did Jay say to be there?"

"7:30, why?" Emma asked while still checking herself out in the mirror.

"Because it's 7:45…"

"Oh! We better go!" Emma decided, anxiously.

They left the house and started walking to Jay's.

"How do you even know where Jay's house is?" Manny wondered if any of her friend's strange encounters with Jay had ended up at his place.

"Sean took me there a few times. It's only like ten minutes from mine on foot. There's a short cut, through the woods, behind my house, that only takes five minutes, but since it's dark, we'll take the longer way around." Emma answered and Manny was silently relieved. It was easier for her, somehow, to continue thinking that the ravine was as far as things ever went with the supposedly 'old Jay' and her bff.

*8:00*

Emma pointed to a house with loud music coming from it. "See, even if I didn't know where Jay's house was, we could've just followed the party sounds."

Manny and Emma walked up to Jay's house; the door was open so they walked right in. Jay was standing off to the side constantly watching the entrance. He walked over when he saw Manny and Emma come in.

"I was beginning to think you weren't gonna show." Jay admitted.

Emma smiled, innocently. "Haven't you ever heard of being fashionably late?"

Jay studied her for a moment. "Yeah well, if that's why you're late, then I don't mind, because you look amazing."

By this point, Manny, had already wandered off in the direction of a cute guy.

"So…can I get you a drink?" Jay asked Emma.

"Do you have anything other than beer?"

"Let's go find out." He walked her to the kitchen. "Water? Soda?"

"Water's fine, thanks."

Jay handed Emma a bottle of water and grabbed another beer for himself.

"You wanna get out of here?" he asked abruptly.

Emma was a bit shocked by the request. "But, this is your party!"

"I know. Just come outside with me."

"What about Manny?" Emma did not want to leave Manny alone at a party she had dragged her to in the first place.

Jay looked over at Manny who was talking to some guy on the couch. "She looks fine to me."

Emma finally caved. "Okay, but just for a little while."

They walked outside and sat on Jay's front steps.

"You look really beautiful tonight." Jay said, letting his vulnerability show.

"Beautiful enough to distract you from all the other girls here?" Emma pushed.

"There are other girls here?" he asked, feigning oblivion.

Emma rolled her eyes.

Jay chuckled. "Okay, but seriously, you don't have to change your look for me."

"I didn't. I just spiced it up a little." Emma defended.

He nodded. "Right. Well, I like it, but you didn't have to. You always take my breath away."

Emma smiled. Jay pulled her closer to him and put his arm around her waist. Emma looked up at Jay. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment and then they kissed. It was long and passionate, just like the one the day before at the Dot. They both pulled away after a while and continued to talk while remaining in each other's arms until…

"Emma! I've been looking all over for you! It's 11:55; you told your mom we would be back by 12!" Manny anxiously reminded her best friend.

"Oh, yeah! Sorry, Jay, I gotta go! Maybe I could come over tomorrow?" Emma asked, hopeful.

"Yeah, okay." Jay tried to reign in some of his eagerness. "Call me."

As Emma was being pulled down the street by Manny, she yelled, "I will!"


	8. Chapter 8

*Back at Emma's house at about 12:06am*

They went in the front door, because Emma was still trying to make it up to her parents for all her wild child moments after the shooting. However, she still did not want to hear another lecture, so she opened the door as quietly as humanly possible.

"Oh, good." Emma whispered with relief. Evidently, her parents had begun to trust her again. "Mom and Snake already went to bed. Let's just go down to my room."

They walked downstairs and sat on Emma's bed.

"So, what were you and Jay doing outside all night?" Manny asked, expecting to hear something juicy. "You two seemed pretty cozy, on his front deck."

Emma smiled. "We just talked. He told me I was beautiful but that I didn't need to change my look to make him notice me more."

Manny could sense that Emma was still holding out on her and pried further with a raised eyebrow. "All you did was talk?"

"…And, we kissed." Emma confessed. "Everything with him is so intense. I thought my heart was going to beat right out of my ribcage. Then, after we pulled away, I laid my head on his chest and I could feel it…" She had a quick flashback memory of sitting there in Jay's arms. "Manny, his heart was racing just as hard as mine!"

Genuinely happy to see her best friend so giddy again, Manny exclaimed, "Wow, Em!"

"I know! It was so-." Emma's cell phone beeped, stopping her in mid-sentence. "Text message."

"At this hour? What's it say? Who's it from?"

Emma looked down at her phone. "It's from Jay…It says, 'I miss you already!'"

"Who knew Jay Hogart had such a romantic streak?" Manny was in complete disbelief.

Emma agreed, "He definitely keeps it hidden from most people…"

(Emma and Jay continued a little text-conversation and Emma shared the whole thing with Manny.)

*Text-Conversation*

Emma: Me 2! When should i come over?

Jay: How's now sound?

Emma: Lol! I was thinking more like after noon.

Jay: Don't know if i can wait that long 2 see u again

Emma: Just call me in a few hours, ok?

Jay: Why?

Emma: Cause i need some sleep!

Jay: Right, sleep. Ok, bye beautiful.

Emma: Bye stud!

*End*

As Emma put her phone down again, satisfied that Jay would leave her alone for at least a few more hours, Manny piped up. "Em, I am so jealous! I can't believe I'm jealous of you and Jay. Jay! Of all people…"

Emma laughed. "I know. I never expected to feel this blissed out on Jay Hogart…But, I can't let my guard down just yet. He is, after all, Degrassi's biggest playboy…" Changing the subject, she asked, "What about you? You seemed pretty cozy, yourself, with that guy on the couch." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Manny sighed with a disenchanted look on her face. "Oh, he was cute and all, but we just didn't have much in common."

They talked some more and then finally fell asleep at about 2:30am.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

*10:45am Saturday Morning*

Both Manny and Emma were still asleep on Emma's bed, when Emma's cell phone began to ring.

Emma moaned and reached for her phone, clumsily. "Hello?"

"Ready yet?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Hi," she yawned and then continued her greeting, "Jay."

Jay laughed, realizing she was still in bed. "Hey. So when are you coming over?"

"Well, I need to take a shower and get cute before you see me. You did just wake me up, you know."

"Hmm…Can I join you in that shower?"

In the most nonchalant tone she could muster, she said, "Sure."

"What? R-really?" he stuttered.

"No," she chuckled, "I'm kidding! I'll be over in about two hours, okay?"

He sighed, in disappointment. "Alright, fine."

Emma hung up the phone and hopped into the shower. Manny was still fast asleep on Emma's bed.

*About 15 minutes later*

"Manny! Wake up! I'm going over to Jay's in like an hour and a half. I need your help!" Emma yelled exasperatedly.

"I thought," Manny yawned, "you said Jay told you, you didn't need a different look."

"He did."

"Then don't try so hard. Just wear whatever you normally wear." Manny advised and then rolled over and fell back asleep.

*45 minutes later*

This time, Emma shook Manny as she yelled, "Manny, come on! We have to make some lunch and then you should go home."

Rising from the comfort and warmth of the covers, Manny groggily started to reply. "Oka-." She cut herself off as she noticed Emma's attire. "Em, you look great!"

Emma was wearing jeans and solid black baby tee. She had on light makeup and her hair was down and straight.

"Thanks!" Emma said, definitely more relaxed. "You were right. I shouldn't try to dress like someone I'm not."

"I know." Manny said matter-of-factly and then smiled innocently.

Emma rolled her eyes as they walked upstairs to make some lunch. Emma's parents had gone out for the afternoon with her little brother, Jack.

"So, what are you guys going to do over at Jay's?" Manny asked, curiously.

Emma shrugged her shoulders, deciding to keep what she hoped would happen to herself. "Probably just hang out."

They ate lunch and chatted a little more.

*12:30pm*

Emma and Manny walked outside of the house.

"Bye, Em! Be careful!" Manny instructed, protectively.

"Don't worry, I will."

Manny headed toward her house and Emma walked toward Jay's.

Arriving at Jay's house mere moments later, Emma knocked on his front door.

"Hey, beautiful." was Jay's greeting as he opened the door.

"Miss me?" Emma teased.

"You know I did." Jay answered, pointedly.

They walked over and sat down on the couch.

As Emma looked around the room, she noticed an entirely different perception of it than she had, had the night before. "Wow, it doesn't look that bad in here, considering you just had a massive party last night."

"Yeah, I had some help cleaning up." Jay confessed.

"Oh, yeah? From who?" Emma hoped that Jay could not see the paranoia in her eyes as she waited for his answer. She did not want any girls using the offer to help him clean up as a flirt tactic just to get into his...well, anyway, she just did not want any competition.

Luckily, for Emma, Jay was oblivious to her inner thoughts, this time and simply replied, "Towerz and Mike just left a few hours ago. They were the last ones here, so I asked them to help me clean up so I could impress my girlfriend."

Emma was taken by surprise. '_Girlfriend?_' she thought.'_Where did that come from? Is this thing we are doing here ready for titles yet?_' But, she suppressed her thoughts, smiled, and said, "Oh, well, you did."

"Well, I'm glad." Jay smiled to himself, satisfied that his little slip of an offer went over well. "So, you wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure," Emma nodded, "but nothing scary or sad, okay?" She had, had enough of that for a lifetime.

"Okay…how about Mr. and Mrs. Smith?"

'_Perfect_. _Action and romance with no fears or tears_.' she thought. "Yeah, okay." she said to Jay.

They started out watching the movie sitting on opposite ends of the couch. By the middle of the movie, Emma had moved over to Jay's side. He had his arm around her shoulder and she was lying against him with her head on his chest. They both felt so comfortable and like they had been together for much longer than just three days.

**A/N: Yay, Lizzie! I am so glad you found me! Yeah, the new Teennick frustrates me too...Anyway, thanks to everyone who is reading! Please continue to review, it really makes my day!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Here comes a defining moment for Jemma. Enjoy the happiness while it lasts! Thanks for reading and please continue to review!**

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Emma and Jay, both, must have been more tired than they thought, from the night before, because although they made it through the entire movie, they fell asleep as the credits rolled. An hour later, Jay was the first to wake up. He looked down at Emma and realized they had been sleeping for a while. He smiled at how peaceful she looked, asleep in his arms. He tucked some of her hair behind her ear and kissed the top of her head. Emma woke up gently and lifted her head. She smiled at Jay.

"Oh my gosh, did I fall asleep?" she asked bashfully.

"Yeah, we both did." he replied, as if falling asleep with Emma in his arms was the most normal thing in the world for him.

Emma sat up on the couch, still in Jay's arms.

"Hey, are you hungry?" Jay suddenly asked.

"Maybe a little." Emma admitted.

"Let me make you the best sandwich you'll ever have."

"How can I say no to that?"

"You can't." Jay smirked, triumphantly. "Now, come with me."

They went into the kitchen and Emma sat down at the table while Jay worked on the sandwiches at the counter.

"Jay?" Emma unexpectedly began.

Jay looked up from his masterpieces and over at Emma. "Yeah."

"I, uh…" she tried to start again, but the words were not quite ready to come out.

Jay became slightly concerned and dropped what he was doing for a second. "You what? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." she answered, embarrassed that she had worried him over a small confession she was trying to coax out of herself. "I just…I want you to know that it was the last thing I expected, but I feel really…comfortable when I'm with you. And, despite all the awful stuff that you have been at the root of lately," Jay looked down in shame as she continued, "you have never once failed to at least make me feel again, since the shooting."

Jay brought the sandwiches over to the table and sat down across from Emma, silently bracing himself for her to get up and leave him right then and there. "What happened that day was my fault. And, I'm sorry about the ravine stuff, too. Maybe it was wrong of me to ask you not to hate me."

Emma shook her head, no. "I'm done placing blame. That's not what this is about. If not you and Spinner, someone else would have done something to set Rick off. The whole school hated what he did to Terry. Maybe it was fate that we were forced into each other's lives after that to be there for Sean. And, we've just been in this strange will-they-or-won't-they relationship thing ever since he left. So, now that you say you genuinely like me and that you want to be better for me, and I can see that you're actually trying, it makes me feel like what happened in the ravine is just a distant memory of a messed up time for the both of us. Four weeks ago or four years, it shouldn't make a difference if you really have left that life behind."

A huge grin of relief stretched across Jay's face. "You don't even know how good it makes me feel to hear you say all of that. You really do bring out the best in me, Emma Nelson."

Emma was glad that he was happy too and finally took a bite of her sandwich.

"Good, huh?" Jay asked, reverting back to his prideful self.

"It's alright." she said, sounding unimpressed.

"Just alright? Jay was flabbergasted. No one ever dissed his sandwiches. "That's it? That's all I get?"

Emma laughed. "I'm just teasing! It's really good! By far the best I've ever had." She ended her confession with a smile.

"That's better." He smirked.

Just as they were finishing up their sandwiches, Spike called to ask Emma to come home to babysit so that she and Snake could have a date night.

"Okay, Mom, I'll be home in a few minutes." She hung up the phone and turned to Jay with sad eyes. "Jay, I have to go home now."

"Are you sure?" he asked disappointedly.

"Yeah, my mom and Snake need me to babysit. It's actually kind of sweet that they still do date nights."

Jay sighed. "Okay."

"So, I'll see you at school on Monday?" Emma asked with hope.

"Yeah, you better."

Emma and Jay kissed goodbye, then, Emma walked home.


	11. Chapter 11

Monday morning, Jay gave Emma a ride to school. They pulled up and walked in hand-in-hand. People immediately started whispering and giving them dirty looks, but, for the first time, in a long time, Emma did not care about what they were thinking or saying about her. Emma and Jay were completely consumed in each other and were not concerned by their surroundings. They separated only to go to classes and were seen making-out in the hallways whenever they got the chance. It was like that for the rest of the week, too. In fact, it was like that every day for about a month. They hung out every weekend, too, at Jay's. His parents worked most of the time, so they always had the place to themselves. Emma's parents expressed concern about her being with Jay, the guy who gave her a STD, but they also noticed her sudden change in behavior and decided it was due to her new relationship, so they let it go. Emma was happier, doing better in school, and, most of all, had more confidence in herself because of Jay.

Not everyone was happy about them being together, though. Alex was growing increasingly angered by how quickly Jay seemed to have moved on. She missed being with him and wanted him back at any cost.

One Saturday afternoon, Jay was sitting on his front steps waiting for Emma to come over. They were going to go to a movie. Emma was taking the short cut, through the woods, behind her house, when all of the sudden someone else showed up in front of Jay's house.

"Hey!" the person said eagerly.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Jay asked in surprise.

"I miss you and me, Jay."

"Alex, _you_ broke up with _me_." Jay reminded her.

"I know, but it was a mistake. I wanna give us another chance." Everything about Alex, in that moment, screamed seductress, from her clothes to her body language and especially her tone of voice.

Jay held his ground. "I'm with Emma now."

"Yeah, but Causegirl can't give you what you need. You know I can." She moved in closer to Jay. "Don't you miss me?" She batted her eyelashes, but somehow, for Alex, it was more sexy than 12-year-old-flirty when she did it.

Jay was very frank with his answer. "No, Alex." he said, straight to the point. Then, he stood up and lightly pushed her backward a little. "I don't and don't call her that. Emma is everything I've ever needed."

Emma was almost to Jay's by this point.

Alex walked closer to him again. "Come on, Jay." She cocked her head up toward his. "We were good together, weren't we?"

Jay, wavering slightly, answered, "I guess, but we're over now, because of you."

Alex gave an evil grin as she heard his conviction weaken. "But, we don't have to be." She took her moment to strike and reached up as she pulled Jay's lips to hers.

Emma finally reached Jay's house and was completely shocked by what she saw.

* * *

**Alright, y'all, this weekend is my Fall Break, so I probably will not post again until Tuesday night. And, what an awful place to leave it, huh? Sorry about that, but I will be back soon! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	12. Chapter 12

**This was probably my favorite chapter to write/edit to this point! Enjoy! I heart drama!**

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Jay pushed Alex off of him and then met eyes with Emma, who was standing right in front of them, in shock. He could see the hurt in her eyes. Emma shook her head and turned around to run back home. Jay tried to run after her, but Alex grabbed his arm.

"Forget her!" Alex shouted.

Jay pulled himself away from Alex's grasp for the last time. "No, I can't! Do _not_ come near me again. I'm through with you…forever!" He ran into the woods, to find Emma.

Emma had tripped over a tree root and was lying on the ground when Jay found her.

"Em, what happened? Here," he offered out a hand for her to grab onto, "let me help you up."

Emma pushed his hand away. "Don't touch me!" she growled. "I can do it myself!" She pushed herself to her feet and started to walk away.

Jay ran in front of her to stop her. "Baby, wait!"

"Don't you dare call me, baby!" Emma's words seethed with hurt and anger. "I can't believe you! I can't believe I trusted you!"

He was blocking her every try to get away. "I can explain!"

"Save it!" She struggled once more, then huffed in frustration and gave up on trying to get away. Her best bet now was to make him feel so ashamed of himself that he would leave her alone of his own free will. "You know, I was just starting to believe that you could handle a relationship with just one girl at a time, but I guess I was wrong! Nice try, though, I really did fall for it, hook, line, and sinker. How could you do this to m-." Surprising even herself, she let out a slight groan from a sudden pain and gripped her side.

"Em, you're bleeding!" Jay's feelings of guilt were escalating.

She looked down at her shirt, on the right side, just below her ribs. "I'm fine, it's just a scratch." she said sternly.

"Please, just let me look at it." he begged.

"No! I told you, I'm fine! You're the only thing hurting me right now!"

"It's not what you think! She-."

Emma waved a hand in front of him to cut him off. "You know what, no! Don't waste your breath on me! Just go be with Alex! That's what you want, isn't it?" She felt a few tears betray her tough façade.

Jay could never have believed how one misread second in his life could, now, be so masterfully destroying everything that was ever good in it. "No…it's not." he replied, desperate for her to hear the truth.

In between sobs, Emma managed to ask, "Oh _no_? Then what? Did I just imagine you two kissing?"

"No, but she kissed me before I could do anything!"

"_She_ kissed _you_? Right, and _why_ should I believe you?"

"…" He did not know what to say to get her to believe him.

"That's what I thought! You're unbelievable!" Emma said, incredulously. "Why, Jay? Why did you do thi-." That was all she had left in her. As shock caught up with her, she suddenly passed out.

Jay caught her and gently guided her body to the ground.

"Emma? Jay's eyes were wide with concern. "Emma, please wake up!"

She did not respond. Jay decided to bring her in his house and call an ambulance. He picked her up 'bridal style' and carried her into his house. He laid her gently down on the couch and went to get the phone. Jay knelt down beside the couch and was just about to call 911 when Emma woke up.

"Thank God." Every inch of Jay's body instantly relaxed.

Emma was extremely confused. She remembered almost everything that happened just moments earlier and could not believe that she let herself end up in Jay's house after all of that. "Wha…What am I doing here?"

"You passed out." Jay informed her. "I was just about to call an ambulance. You need a doctor."

"Oh no you don't." Emma thought, _'If Jay thinks I am accepting help from him, he better think twice.'_ She tried her best to tell him off. "I don't need _your_ help. I'm fine!"

"You're not fine, Emma." Jay knew that Emma could be stubborn, but this was a new level, he had not seen before. Despite everything, this was her health they were talking about, now. "You need to go to the hospital."

Emma sat up fast. "No, no hospitals! I hate hospitals!"

"Okay, okay," Jay was willing to do anything Emma wanted, in that moment, "just lie back down…Please?"

Emma suddenly felt light-headed. "Yeah, okay, maybe I should." She laid back down and sighed as her heart unexpectedly betrayed her mind. "Did _she_ really kiss _you_?"

Jay was the epitome of relief. "Yes! And, I pushed her away as soon as she did it. I told her I was with you now, but she didn't want to hear it. I didn't want her to kiss me, but I just-."

Emma put two fingers on Jay's lips to stop him from talking. "I believe you."


	13. Chapter 13

Jay was astounded. "You do?"

Emma smiled but then slightly winced in pain.

Jay's happiness was short lived as he noticed Emma's subtle twinge. "Whoa, are you okay?"

Finally being honest, Emma answered, "I don't know." She looked down and saw that she was bleeding more now.

"Will you let me look at it, now?" Jay asked with concern.

"Okay, yeah." she consented with a nod.

Jay lifted her shirt slightly to get a better look, and Emma's breath caught in her throat.

He looked right into her eyes. "Just relax. I'll be gentle." He studied the area where Emma's cut was for a moment. "This is a really big gash. You must've cut it on a rock or a branch or something out there…Em, you're bleeding a lot."

She started to freak out. "I am?" She felt a panic attack coming on. "Jay, I can't catch my breath!"

"That's it, I'm calling 911!" Jay declared.

"No," she took a shallow breath, "please!" Her pleas were futile at this point as she took another shallow breath.

"I don't know what else to do!" Jay dialed 911.

"911, what's your emergency?" came the calm voice of the emergency operator.

Jay's words seemed to blend together as he talked very fast but tried to remain coherent. "My girlfriend, sh-she cut herself really bad and she's losing a lot of blood, a-and she's having trouble breathing!"

"Is she conscious now?" the operator asked.

"Yeah," was all that Jay could manage to spit out.

"Okay, tell me your address and I'll send an ambulance."

Jay put his mind on autopilot as he rattled off his address to the woman on the other side of the line.

"I'm sending an ambulance right over." she replied.

Jay finally snapped out of his haze when he heard Emma quietly whimper and asked the operator, "What should I do until they get here? How do I make her comfortable?"

"You're going to need to stop the bleeding." the operator started. "Find a clean towel or some other piece of cloth and apply pressure to the wound. Then, talk to her. Try to keep her calm. She's probably in shock and that is why she is having trouble breathing, so try distracting her."

"Okay, thanks."

"Do you need me to stay on the line until the ambulance arrives?" she offered.

"No, I think I got it." Jay answered as confidence slowly crept back into his body.

"Okay, help will be there soon." she said, reassuringly.

"Thanks again. Bye." Jay hung up the phone, went to get a hand towel, and then ran back to Emma's side. "Help is coming, okay?"

Emma shook her head up and down. "Thanks," she took her first deep breath in a while, "Jay."

"She told me, I have to try to stop the bleeding. I have to put pressure on it." he warned. "Are you gonna be okay with that?"

She was finally starting to breathe a little easier. "I think so."

Jay pressed the towel on Emma's side, then, after a few seconds asked, "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay." she tried to lie.

Jay could tell that she was still kind of freaking out, so he decided to try to distract her, like the emergency operator had suggested. "So, what convinced you that I was telling the truth about Alex?"

Emma was clearly upset by the fact that she was being kept from thinking about her condition. "Did you have to bring_ her_ up, _now_?"

Jay continued, ignoring her obvious desire to concentrate on her pain. "I'm just curious."

Emma sighed. "Well…I don't know…I guess it was just something in your eyes. You just looked sincere. It was the same look you gave me when we were at the Dot; the day I decided you were worth another chance."

Jay smiled and then they heard a siren.

"They're here." Jay said to Emma with palpable relief. "I'll be right back." He quickly stood up and went outside to show the paramedics in.

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**Thanks for reading! More is coming soon! Please continue to review; it really makes me happy!**


	14. Chapter 14

"She's in here." Jay said to the paramedics, referring to Emma.

The paramedics checked Emma's vitals and assessed the extent of her injuries. They started her on some oxygen to help with her breathing, and then asked Jay a few questions. During all of this, Jay could see that Emma was scared so he held her hand.

"Has she been conscious the whole time, since the moment of injury?" one of the paramedics asked Jay.

Jay tried to remember as much as he could so that the paramedics would have the right information to help Emma to the best of their ability. "She passed out a couple of minutes after it happened, but then she came to a few minutes after that and has stayed awake since."

"Okay, that's a good sign, and there's no evidence of head trauma, so it's pretty safe to say, she does not have a concussion."

Jay did not care about the medical terminology details and just wanted to get to the point. "Is she gonna be ok?"

"Well, she's going to need stitches and the doctors need to make certain that no major organs were pierced, but, yes, she should be fine." the paramedic assured.

Jay let out a breath he had not realized he was holding. Then, the paramedics put Emma on the gurney with Jay still holding her hand.

"Can I go with her?" Jay asked.

"No, I'm sorry, family only." one of the paramedics informed. "You'll have to meet her at the hospital."

Emma suddenly became frightened again, and squeezed Jay's hand as the paramedics tried to wheel her away from him. "No, Jay, please don't leave me!"

"It's okay." Jay said calmingly. "I'm gonna follow right behind you guys. Don't worry, you're gonna be alright."

Emma had something important to tell Jay before they were separated. "Jay, I-."

"Shhh, it's okay." Jay said, cutting her off. "Whatever it is, it can wait. Tell me later." He finally let go on her hand, reluctantly.

The paramedics put Emma in the ambulance, turned on the lights and siren, and sped off toward the hospital. Jay called Spike and Snake and told them what happened but left the Alex kissing him part out because he know it would take a long time to explain and they might blame him for what happened. As it was, they already seemed upset with him but were more concerned with how Emma was doing.

*At the hospital*

Jay, Spike, and Snake were sitting in silence in the waiting room. There was obvious tension between the three of them. Then, the doctor finally came over to them and they all stood up.

"Is my daughter okay?" Spike asked, frantically.

"Yes, she's in recovery." the doctor answered. "She lost quite a bit of blood, but, fortunately, the cut was not deep enough to damage anything vital. I gave her a few stitches and I'm going to need to keep her here, at least overnight, for observation."

Spike was relieved and hugged Snake, then, she turned back to the doctor. "Can I see her?"

"She's still under the anesthetic, but you can sit with her until she comes out of it. When she does wake, though, I have to recommend that you not bombard her with questions. She's going to be very weak and she does not need any undue stress right now."

"Whatever you think is best." Spike agreed.

"Okay, good." Satisfied that the recommendations would be carried out, the doctor granted permission. "You may go in now."

Jay had just been standing there, taking it all in, until now. "Can I go in too?"

"Are you a family member?" the doctor asked suspiciously.

Snake chimed in before Jay could answer. "No, he's not!" he said bitterly.

"Then you should wait out here, at least until she wakes up." the doctor told Jay.

Jay was disappointed but didn't want to start any fights, so he did what he was told and waited there, while Emma's parents went in to see her.

As Snake and Spike walked into Emma's room, Spike instantly broke down. "Oh Archie, she looks so helpless!"

Emma had an IV in her arm and a tube was pumping oxygen into her nostrils.

Snake wrapped Spike up into his arms, in an effort to comfort her. "The doctor says she's going to be fine." Snake reminded her.

They sat down, Spike next to the bed and Snake in the corner near the two of them, and waited for Emma to wake up.

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**Thanks for continuing to read and review! No post tomorrow, busy weekend! See you again soon!**


	15. Chapter 15

Spike and Snake just sat there for a few hours until Emma's anesthetic finally wore off and her eyes fluttered open.

As weak as Emma was, she still managed to get one word out. "Jay?" she called out in a raspy voice.

"No sweetie, it's me." Spike announced to her daughter.

"Mom?"

"Yes, yes, I'm here." Spike said eagerly.

"Where's Jay?" Emma asked, a bit insensitively.

Spike sighed, disappointed at the fact that Emma was not more happy to see her. "The doctor told him to stay in the waiting room until you woke up."

"I want to see him." Emma stated, unwaveringly.

"I don't think that is such a good idea right now." Spike said, dismissively.

"I agree." Snake said, supportively, as he joined the conversation. "At least not until we know exactly what happened today."

Emma was confused by her parents' hesitation to let Jay in to see her. "Jay saved me."

"After causing the accident?" Spike accused.

"No, it's not like tha-." Emma started but then she grabbed her side in pain.

Spike was worried that Emma was going to pull her stitches, so she tried to put the conversation to rest. "We can talk about this later."

"No! I want to see Jay, right now!" Emma shouted, fighting through her pain.

"Emma, your mother and I just want you to be safe." Snake added, trying to calm Emma down.

"Your doctor does not want you under any stress for a while."

Emma was growing more and more agitated. "Then why are you guys arguing with me? This, right here, this, is causing me stress. Please, just go get Jay!"

Spike could not argue with that reasoning and finally gave in to her daughter. "Okay, just stay calm. We'll get him."

"Thank you." Emma said, rather annoyed and not very convincingly grateful.

Spike and Snake left the room and walked down to the waiting room.

Spike approached a somber Jay with his head in his hands. "She's asking for you."

Jay lifted his head, smiled, and stood up to walk to Emma's room, but he was momentarily stopped by Snake.

"I don't know the whole story here," Snake began, "but you better be careful with her, now. She's still weak."

"I will, Sir." Jay promised.

All three of them walked back into Emma's room. Jay appeared in the doorway, his and Emma's eyes met, and Emma's whole face lit up. Jay ran up to her and grabbed her hand with both of his. Then, Emma turned to her parents.

"Can Jay and I have some time alone?"

"Oh, Emma, I don't know." Spike answered, still worried about the safety of her daughter.

"Please, Mom."

Spike just wanted Emma to be happy again. "Okay, we'll go get something to eat, but we _will_ be back." She walked out with Snake.

Jay greeted Emma with a soft voice. "Hey, beautiful." He made sure her parents were gone and then kissed her on the forehead.

"Yeah right." Emma scoffed. "I am _so_ not beautiful right now."

"Of course you are." Jay assured.

"But, I have all of these tubes in me everywhere."

"Doesn't matter." Jay said, as he brushed some hair out of Emma's eyes. "…Listen, I know you did not want to be here, but I-."

Emma shook her head, cutting Jay off. "I'm glad you called for help."

"You had me pretty scared there for a while." Jay admitted.

"I was pretty scared too."

"God! This is all my fault!" Jay exclaimed. "If I hadn't let Alex get so close again, this never would've happened."

"No, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions so quickly." Emma offered, blaming herself. "I should have given you the benefit of the doubt first."

"You had good reason to assume that I would cheat on you." Jay allowed. "A couple of months ago, I probably would have. But, that was before…The point is I'm not that guy anymore."

"I know," Emma replied while the self-ridicule continued in her head, "and I should've given you more credit."

"Okay, so it wasn't a shining moment for either of us. Moving on…How are you feeling? The doctor told me that you got some stitches. Do they hurt?"

"Yeah, but I'm doing better, now that you're here." Emma said with a smile.

Jay smiled too and was relieved to finally see for himself that she was really okay.

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**Thanks for reading so far! Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

Jay and Emma were still talking in her hospital room and her parents were still gone.

"What did you tell my parents to get them here?" Emma asked Jay. "They seem mad at you."

"Yeah, things are pretty tense between them and me," Jay confirmed, "but the only thing I said was that you fell and cut yourself really badly. I didn't tell them why you were running, though. It would have taken a long time to explain and I wasn't even sure they would've believed me."

"It's probably better that you didn't tell them." Emma agreed. "They barely supported our relationship before all of this happened. They just don't know you like I do."

"But, I'm sure it didn't help matters, either." Jay said, uneasily. "I think they could tell I was holding something back?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "They always know." she sighed.

Spike and Snake walked back in.

Spike turned to Jay. "Uh, Jason, I think it's time you went home. Emma needs to rest."

Emma tried to fake some energy that everyone in the room knew she did not really have. "No, it's okay! I'm fine! I want him to stay." she said, cheerfully, behind a pained face as she tried to reposition herself in bed.

Losing all of her patience for Emma's 'I'm sick, let me have my way' routine, Spike tiredly said, "Emma, he just needs to leave, okay?"

"No, it's not okay!" Emma shouted.

Not wanting Emma to strain herself anymore, Jay relinquished power to her parents. "It's fine Em, I'll just go."

"No! Stop!" Emma yelled to everyone. "Mom, I did this to myself! I made a stupid assumption because of something I saw Jay doing, and I ran from him and fell in the woods. But, it wasn't Jay's fault!"

"And, how are you so sure that your assumption was wrong?" Spike wondered, skeptically.

"Jay told me what happened and I trust him." Emma answered.

Snake chimed in. "Well, your mother and I aren't sure that we do."

Jay turned to Snake. "Mr. Simpson, I completely understand where you're coming from, but I would never do anything to hurt Emma."

"He makes me happy." Emma added. "Please, just don't make him leave. He _is_ the one who called 911. I told him I didn't want to go to the hospital, but he called anyway. Jay saved my life! I almost bled to death!"

"Emma! Don't be so overdramatic!" Spike reprimanded in shock.

"It's true!" Emma yelled back.

Just then, the doctor walked in and the conversation came to a screeching halt.

"Emma needs to rest now." the doctor said gently, unaware of all the arguing that had just taken place. "Only one person should be in here, at least until morning, patient's choice. I'll be back to check on you in a few hours." With that, the doctor left the room again.

Emma smiled mischievously. "I choose Jay!" she announced loudly.

"Absolutely not! I'm staying!" Spike shot back.

Jay turned to Emma and quietly said, "It's okay, I'll leave. You don't need to be getting upset right now."

Emma addressed all three people standing in front of her. "The doctor said patient's choice and I choose Jay."

"Fine," Spike said, finally caving, "but this discussion is not over, young lady! Archie and I will be back in the morning."

Emma's parents left the hospital.

"Emma," Jay said in a somewhat disapproving tone, "I'm not sure that was such a good idea."

"I know," Emma admitted, "but they need to know that they can't keep us apart."

Jay leaned in to kiss Emma and Emma leaned toward him, twisting her torso in the process. Their lips just barely touched when Emma felt a seething pain in her side. She pulled back.

"What's the matter?" Jay asked as fear flashed across his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." Emma said, waving off Jay's concern. "I just shouldn't have leaned over like that."

Jay felt himself start to breathe again. "Oh, okay…"

After a long silence, Emma abruptly spoke up again. "Uh, Jay?"

"Yeah." Jay replied as he sweetly looked into Emma's eyes.

"I feel kind of silly but hospitals really freak me out." Emma confessed again. "Do you think you could hold me?"

Jay smirked and raised an eyebrow playfully. "Whatever I can do to help." He got on the bed with Emma and put his arms around her. "Is this better?"

"Much." Emma answered with a happy sigh as she closed her eyes and snuggled closer to Jay.

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** I hope you all are still into this. Please review, it makes me happy!**


	17. Chapter 17

Emma and Jay had both fallen asleep on her bed and a few hours later the doctor came in to check on how she was recovering.

"Eh-hem!" came the sound of the doctor's throat clearing.

Jay woke up smiling but then noticed the doctor and jumped off of the bed.

"I'll just be over here." Jay said to the doctor as he walked over to the corner of the room and stood there.

"I think that's a good idea." the doctor confirmed. "So, Emma, I'm sorry to have wakened you, but I need to check your stitches. How are you feeling?"

"Oh, much better, definitely ready to go home in a few hours." Emma lied. Secretly, she was still in a lot of pain.

"Well, I'm glad," the doctor replied, "but I'll be the judge of when you are ready to leave." The doctor, then, took Emma's bandage off and looked at the stitches. "These are not holding up as well as I had hoped. Are you sure you are not experiencing much pain?"

Emma lied again. "Yep, I feel fine!"

"Emma?" Jay suddenly said with a sternness that let Emma know he could tell she was lying just so she could get out of the hospital.

Emma shook her head 'no' to Jay but then gave in. "Okay, yeah, it hurts a lot." she finally confessed to the doctor.

"Emma, I need you to be honest with me about your pain." the doctor lectured. "I'm going to start you on something for the pain and change your bandage. I know how anxious you are to get out of here, so I'll see what I can do to clean these stitches up quickly, but you have to promise not to strain yourself or they will pull apart again. If they do, you will definitely not be going home anytime soon."

"I promise." Emma quickly announced. "No more straining!"

"I hope so. Have your parents let me know when they come back. I want to discuss a few things with them." the doctor added before opening the door to leave again.

"Yeah, fine." Emma answered as the doctor walked out.

Once they were alone again, Jay came back over to Emma's side and sat down in the chair beside her bed. Now it was his turn to lecture a little. "You need to quit. I'm here and not going to let anything happen to you. You don't need to be scared to be here."

Emma smiled and they both drifted off to sleep again, this time with Jay in the chair and Emma in the bed. A few hours later, it was morning and the sun shining through the window woke Emma up. She moved a little and Jay woke up.

Jay smiled. "Morning, beautiful."

Emma smiled back, when he said that. Her parents were on their way back to her room when they heard Emma say…

"Thanks for being here, Jay. I don't think I could've fallen asleep without you here."

Snake was about to walk in but Spike pulled him back because she wanted to listen a bit more before going it and they heard…

"I'm glad your parents finally let me be here with you." Jay said.

"Jay," Emma began again, "there's something I've been wanting to tell you."

"Yeah?" Jay said curiously.

"Yeah, I wanted to tell you before they took me away in the ambulance, but you told me to wait. Jay, I…I think I love you." Emma blurted.

"You think." Jay restated with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean, I do. I do love you." Emma corrected.

Jay smirked. "Well, I do love you, too." he teased, but then turned serious. "I have for a while now, I just knew you needed some time before I could tell you…You're pretty special, Nelson. There aren't many people out there that could get a confession like that out of me."

Emma started to lean over to kiss Jay.

"Don't you dare." Jay commanded, softly. "Let me come to you."

Jay leaned over and just as they were mere millimeters away from each other, Spike and Snake finally walked in. Jay sat back down quickly, hoping that they did not know what Emma and he were just about to do.

Spike turned to Jay, and with a much gentler tone than the night before, said, "Jay, we need a few minutes alone with Emma, but you can come back in a little while."

"No problem." Jay replied. "I'll go get us all some breakfast."

"That would be nice." Spike said with a smile as Jay walked out. Then, she turned to her daughter. "Snake and I heard you and Jay talking before we walked in."

Emma began her defense. "Mom, I know what you're going to say and I just-."

Spike cut her off. "Let me finish. I still have my doubts about him, but I can tell that you two really care about each other, so as long as he makes you happy, then I support you two." She elbowed Snake in the ribs.

"Me too." Snake choked, but then he smiled.

A huge smile grew on Emma's face.

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**Thanks for continuing to read! Sorry for the delay. My grad classes have me all tied up right now. It might be a few days in between chapters for the next few weeks. I hope you'll hang in there with me! See you again soon!**


	18. Chapter 18

Jay walked into Emma's hospital room carrying coffee and bagels for everyone.

"Thank you, Jason." Spike said sincerely and with a smile. "Snake and I will just take ours and leave you two alone for awhile. We need to go talk to the doctor anyway." Spike and Snake walked out of the room and went to talk to Emma's doctor.

Once they left the room, Jay turned to Emma, who was still smiling.

"Uh, did I miss something, here?" Jay asked, very confused. "What's with the happy family routine?"

Still smiling, Emma replied, "They heard us talking and they realized that we are actually good for each other. They have decided to back off and respect that we are together."

"That's a relief. I know how much their approval means to you."

"Yeah, well, approval or not, you were not getting rid of me that easily." Emma confirmed with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Glad to hear it." Jay leaned over and pecked Emma's lips with his. "So, do you want something to eat? I got that strawberry cream cheese that you like."

Emma smiled again from ear to ear. "Yeah, okay. Thanks." She was enjoying all the little things Jay was doing to prove that he knew her well.

They both ate breakfast and then Emma fell asleep again. Jay just sat there watching her sleep for about an hour. Then, Emma's parents came back in with the doctor. Jay gently grazed Emma's arm with the back of his hand to wake her up. As soon as she opened her eyes, however, her machines started going crazy and making a ton of noise. A couple of nurses and interns ran in and forced Spike and Snake out of the room. Jay was still there, holding Emma's hand, until a strong male nurse pulled them apart.

"You need to leave!" the male nurse said sternly, as he held Jay back.

Jay was struggling to no avail to see Emma. "Is she okay?(!)"

The nurse pushed Jay to the doorway, but not quite out of the room yet. "We need you to leave so that we can find out."

Panicking from all the rushing around and loud beeping, Emma called out, "Jay?(!)"

Jay pushed on the nurse to try to get back to Emma, but the nurse held strong. "Em, it's okay, just let them take care of you." Then, losing his battle against the nurse, he was finally forced out of the room. "I love you!" he shouted as the door closed in front of him.

In the hallway, Spike was crying in Snakes arms and Jay was pacing back and forth impatiently waiting for someone to come out and tell them something.

In Emma's room, the doctor was trying to figure out what happened. Emma's blood pressure and heart rate had spiked and she was also running a fever. The doctor, then, checked out her stitches and found the source of the problem.

The doctor whispered to a nurse, "Give her a shot of penicillin." The doctor then turned to Emma. "Emma, you have and infection. It probably started when your stitches pulled apart. I am going to turn off the alarms and we just gave you something to clear it up and something to help you sleep. You will be okay, but it's going to take a few hours before we see anything in your vitals go down. Try to get some more rest now. I'll be back to check on you later. I'm going to go fill in your parents and boyfriend." He walked out into the hallway and told Jay and Emma's parents what was going on with her.

"When can we see her?" was Spike's number one question.

"Not for a few hours." the doctor instructed. "She really needs to rest."

Jay spoke up. "She can't sleep without someone in there with her. She doesn't like being alone." Spike and Snake were impressed by Jay's effort to lobby for Emma's comfort.

The doctor nodded, but did not forfeit. "We gave her a sedative. She'll be fine, she just needs some time. You can see her again in a couple of hours."

Jay sighed but did not argue again. Emma slept while her parents and Jay sat in the waiting room hoping that she would recover quickly.

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**Drama-rama! Thanks for reading! I will try to post the next chapter asap!**


	19. Chapter 19

Several hours later, the doctor came back into Emma's room. The sound of someone entering her room, woke her up.

"Jay?" Emma asked, groggily.

"No," the doctor answered, "he is with your parents in the waiting room. I'm here to check on you."

As the doctor went around making notes and checking her monitors, Emma then asked, anxiously, "So, how am I doing, Doc? Good enough to get out of here sometime soon?"

"Not quite. You still have a bit of a fever and your blood pressure is still high."

"What if I promise not to overexert myself?" Emma tried.

"I wouldn't believe you. Not after everything that has happened so far. I'm sorry, but you need to stay a bit longer. I will, however, let you have one visitor at a time while we wait on your fever to go down."

"One at a time?" Emma repeated. "This should be interesting…"

"I'll be back to check on you in a little while. Remember, no stress." The doctor, then, headed toward the waiting room and spoke to Emma's parents and Jay. "She's recovering, but I'm still concerned with how high some of her vitals are. I know you all are anxious to see her, so I am allowing one visitor at a time. I'll leave you to make the decisions and I will be back to check on Emma in a few hours. She is quite antsy and ready to get out of here, so please just try to keep her calm." With that, the doctor disappeared around a corner.

Spike turned to Jay. "I just need to see her for a few minutes and then you can sit with her."

Jay was relieved that there was not going to be a fight and simply said, "Okay, thanks."

Spike told Snake that she would be right back and then left the two guys sitting in the waiting room. An awkward silence came over them…

Spike walked into Emma's room. "Emma?"

"Mom?" Emma asked, happy just to hear a comforting voice again.

"Yes, honey," Spike answered, "I just wanted to see for myself that you were okay."

"Yeah, Mom, I'm alright."

Spike breathed a sigh of relief. "I was worried about you, but the doctor says that you are going to be okay, you just still have a fever, right now."

"But, I feel okay…Really. You don't need to be worried."

"I'm your mother. That's my job."

Emma smiled calmingly. "I'm fine. I'll be out of here in no time."

"Well, we'll see about that, but thanks for trying to make me feel better. I'm so proud of my little nurturer…Alright, then, I'm gonna go get Jason, now. You _do_ want to see him, right?"

In her head Emma thought, '_What kind of question is that?_,' but out loud, she said… "Yes! Of course I do!"

Spike was clearly amused by Emma's reaction and smiled. "Okay, just checking. I'll go get him."

No sooner had Spike left than Jay immediately appeared in Emma's hospital room doorway. "Hey beautiful." Jay greeted. "You really gotta stop scaring me like that. Not cool, Nelson."

With a smirk, Emma replied, "I know. Just trying to keep you on your toes."

"Yeah, well, it's working."

"Seriously, though, thanks for being here for me."

"Where else would I be? You're here, so I'm here." Jay stated, simply.

"I'd much rather be at home…Or, maybe, just in your arms." she hinted.

"Well, I can't take you home, yet, but…" He did not even bother finishing his sentence as he hopped onto the bed with Emma and pulled her close to him.

Emma felt so warm and safe with him. "This'll definitely work for now, but we better be careful not to set off my heart rate monitor again." She giggled.

"Do I really have that big of an effect on you?"

"What do you think?" Emma took Jay's hand and placed over her heart as it beat even more rapidly at his touch.

Jay drew himself even closer to her and kissed her, carefully. Emma kissed him back, intensely. After a few minutes, they both pulled away, breathless. Emma rested her head on Jay's chest and they both just laid there for a while feeling each other's bodies rise up and down as they breathed steadily again.

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**The hospital stuff is almost over, I promise! Thanks for continuing to read and review! See you again soon!**


	20. Chapter 20

Two or so hours later, the doctor finally came back in. "I need to examine Emma. I have to ask you leave for a few minutes." the doctor said to Jay.

Jay let go of Emma and got off of the bed. They both felt a sudden rush of cold where the warmth of their bodies next to each other used to be, and Jay saw a sad look come over Emma's face.

Jay whispered to Emma, "Don't worry, I'll be back soon." He kissed her forehead and then left the room.

The doctor began to check Emma's condition. "Everything looks pretty good. Your blood pressure is still a little high, but your fever has broken and your pulse rate is back to a normal range." The doctor, then, peeled back Emma's bandage to look at her stitches. "These look good, too. There's no sign of the infection anymore. I'm going to prescribe some vitamins with iron to hopefully prevent you from becoming anemic after your severe blood loss, and I will also prescribe a painkiller for you. I don't see any reason to hold you here any longer." Emma's eyes instantly lit up, as the doctor continued. "I'll start the discharge papers and once they're processed you can go home. I'll let your boyfriend back in now and I'll go talk to your parents."

"Thank you!" was what Emma let escape from her lips, but words failed to express just how happy she was to finally be able to go home.

The doctor left and Jay came back in.

"Hey, boyfriend!" Emma exclaimed cheerfully.

Jay cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. "You seem happy." he observed.

"The doctor says I can go home today!"

"That's great, Em!"

"You know what else is great?" Emma asked in a playful tone.

"What?" Jay asked curiously.

"You."

Jay smirked. "I try."

Emma's parents walked in.

"Emma, I'm so glad you're coming home!" Spike hollered in excitement.

"Yeah, me too. I can't wait to get out of here." Emma stated.

Snake took Jay aside to talk to him. "Jay, I want to apologize for how I've been treating you. You and Emma, both, made some bad decisions in your pasts, but I'm glad that you were there when she really needed you. I think you being here has actually helped her pull through."

Jay nodded. "I know it means a lot to Emma that you and her mom approve of us being together."

"I'm sure she does." Snake confirmed.

Spike turned to the boys. "Hey you two, that's enough mysterious chatting! You should both leave so that I can help Emma get dressed."

The guys left the room and Emma got dressed with just a little bit of difficulty.

Then, the doctor came back in. "You are all set to go, and I brought you this."

"I don't need a wheelchair." Emma argued.

"It's hospital policy," the doctor said, unwaveringly, "just humor me at least until you're out the front door."

"Okay, fine." Emma conceded.

Spike pushed Emma down to the waiting room.

"I thought you were ok!" Jay said in a worried tone. "What's with the chair?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "It's just until I get outside. Something about hospital rules…"

"Oh," Jay said, with relief, "well, can I help?"

Spike stepped aside and let Jay wheel Emma outside. Once they got outside, Jay stopped and Emma tried to stand up. She walked a few slow steps with Jay holding onto her, and then her knees gave-out.

"Whoa!" Jay said as he caught her.

"I'm fine." Emma persuaded. "I just got a little light headed. The doctor said that might happen."

"She's right." Spike confirmed to Jay. "But, Emma, maybe you should get back in the wheelchair, just until we get to the car."

"I have a better idea." Jay said, as he scooped Emma up into his arms. She hugged his neck tightly as he carried her to Snake's car.

Emma went home with Spike and Snake and Jay went back to his house for the first time since Emma's accident. He told Emma he would see her tomorrow.


	21. Chapter 21

The day after Emma came home from the hospital, just happened to be a Tuesday. Emma stayed home but convinced Jay that he should go to school that day. Manny had been worried because this was the second day in a row that Emma had missed and she could not remember ever talking to her that past weekend either. So, Manny decided to go over to Emma's house as soon as school was over for the day.

Emma's mother greeted Manny at the front door. "Hi, Mrs. Simpson! Is Emma okay?" Manny asked, extremely concerned.

"She's fine." Spike instantly reassured. "She just had an accident this weekend. Why don't you go downstairs and let her tell you all about it."

"Are you sure she's up to it?" Manny asked.

"Yeah, it's fine." Spike confirmed.

Manny went down to Emma's room. Emma was sitting on her bed, reading a magazine, and waiting for Jay to call her.

"Hey, Em!" Manny greeted as she bounced down the stairs.

"Manny!" Emma shouted happily. "I'm so glad you came over! I have so much to tell you!"

Manny sat down on Emma's bed and got comfortable for a long story. "Well, start with why you haven't been at school for the past two days, Miss Perfect Attendance. What happened? Your mom said you had an accident."

"Well," Emma began, "it started on Saturday when I went over to Jay's and saw him and Alex kissing."

Manny's eyes widened. "O-M-G!"

"I know!" Emma agreed. "I tried to run away, but I tripped on something in the woods behind my house. I cut myself on a rock or something and it was really bad. I had to get stitches!"

"Are you okay?" Manny asked, referring now to her emotional state. "I can't believe he did that to you!"

"See, that's what I thought too, at first, but it turns out that Alex kissed him. He pushed her off of him and came looking for me as soon as I ran away. Alex was lonely and wanted him back, but he told her he was with me now. She just didn't want to hear it."

"What a…" Manny trailed off, not even deeming to release an expletive on Alex's behalf. "So, then what happened when Jay found you?"

"Well, at that point I still thought he cheated on me, so I yelled at him and walked away. But, I didn't realize how badly I was hurt. I passed out because I was in shock and Jay took me to his place." Emma continued to tell Manny everything. She told her about how she didn't want to go to the hospital, but Jay called 911 anyway and how she was actually really glad he did. She also told her everything that happened at the hospital and about her parents' reaction at first but then how they were supportive now. "Manny, Jay was so amazing through the whole thing."

"Well, that's a relief." Manny conveyed honestly. "I thought I was going to have to hurt him for hurting you…So, anyway, when do you think you'll be back in school?"

"I wanted to go back today, but Mom wouldn't let me. I'm definitely going back tomorrow, though."

"Are you sure you're ready?" Manny questioned, hesitantly. "I mean, after what happened in the hospital parking lot yesterday?"

"Yes, I'm totally sure. I'm going…" Emma proclaimed just as her cell phone began to ring. "It's Jay." She flipped open her phone and put it to her ear. "Hey there, Sexy Man."

"Hey, Beautiful. Did you miss me today?" Jay fished.

"Not really." Emma teased.

"Ouch, that really hurts." Jay said, feigning emotional distress.

"Oh, you know I'm kidding…So, did you go to all of your classes today?"

"Yes, Mom." Jay answered sarcastically.

"Hey, I was just curious." Emma said defensively. "Everyone knows that Jay Hogart's middle name is Truancy."

"Yeah, well, you don't see me skipping out on you, do ya?"

"You do have a point there." Emma admitted. Perhaps it was possible for his commitment to her to rub off unto other aspects of his life.

"That's what I thought." Jay boasted. "So, anyway, when can I see you?"

"Well, Manny's over right now and I think I'm gonna go to bed early, tonight, so why don't I just see you at school tomorrow?"

Jay paused for a moment before responding. "Are you sure you should be going back to school already?"

"Jeez, what is it with everyone today?" Emma asked rhetorically. "I want to go back, so I'm going, and you should know by now that I get what I want."

"At least let me drive you."

Emma had no problem granting that request. It just meant more time she would get to spend with him in the day. "Deal."

"See you tomorrow morning then."

"Can't wait!"

"Bye, beautiful. I love you."

"Love you too!" Emma returned just before she closed her phone and gave her attention back to Manny.

"You guys already said the L-word?" Manny asked, unsure of how she felt about how quickly things were moving for Jay and her best friend.

"Already? Come on, Manny. Jay and I have been in the proverbial love/hate thing for, like, ever."

"I guess I can't argue with that." Manny agreed. "I just didn't realize it was all love now."

"Well it is." Emma confirmed with a sparkle in her eye.

They talked some more. Manny stayed for dinner and then went home. Emma went to bed early, excited that she would see Jay when she woke up.

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**Thanks for reading! Sorry if this chapter was a bit boring. The action returns in the next one, however, it might be a few days before I can post it. **

**P.S.- kikimagic2, I'm not sure if your review was a back-handed compliment or what, but please do not diss my writing. While I respect your right to an opposing opinion, I put a great deal of work into that chapter and I am proud of the way it turned out. I do not want to burn any bridges with you if you were actually saying that you enjoyed some of my other chapters more than that one, but if that was not the case and you just do not like the choices I make in my writing, then please take your reviews elsewhere. I put too much time and effort into my writing to deserve such blatant rudeness towards it.**


	22. Chapter 22

The next morning, Emma woke up feeling well-rested and dressed herself for school rather quickly. Spike made her eat a hearty breakfast. Emma was not quite that hungry, but she ate it all just to make her mother happy. She finished eating in a hurry and rushed to the window to see if Jay was there, yet. Sure enough, she saw him leaning against his car, outside, waiting for her. Emma ran to the door…

"Emma!" Spike called out. "Promise me you'll take it easy today."

Emma stopped in her tracks and sighed. "Okay, Mom, I promise." She opened the door and locked eyes with Jay as she yelled back to Spike, "Bye, Mom! See you after school!" She walked up to Jay, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him. Jay deepened the kiss for a moment and ran his hands slowly down her back to, then, hold them at her waist. They pulled away after a few seconds, both intensely satisfied, and hopped in the car as they headed for school...

...They pulled up in front of Degrassi and walked in casually, holding hands. They separated for class and met back up for lunch. Emma walked into the cafeteria and saw Alex standing over Jay, who was sitting, by himself, at a table, with an angry look on his face. They seemed to be having a heated argument and Jay did not look the least bit interested in whatever Alex was trying to "sell" him. Emma walked over to them. When she appeared in Jay's line of vision, he became nervous that another misunderstanding was in the works. "Emma, I was just-."

Surprisingly to Jay, though, Emma did not appear to be upset with him. "It's okay," she said, soothingly as she cut him off, "I can handle this." The same, however, could not be said for how she felt about Alex. Emma turned to Alex with fire in her eyes. "You need to back off, Alex, because Jay and I are together now!"

"You're the one who needs to back off, before I back you off." Alex hissed as she got right into Emma's face.

People from all around the cafeteria stopped talking and began to stare. Jay stayed seated, but kept a close eye on the situation fearing that it would soon get out of hand.

"Go ahead and try," Emma provoked, "but what will hurting me really get you? Jay will still be with me."

"Ah, the voice of reason." Alex mocked. "You think you can just talk your way out of this?" she asked angrily. "I just so happen to think that actions speak louder than words." She cracked her knuckles intimidatingly.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Emma announced. "No one is going to side with you, if this gets ugly, you know that, right? I didn't do anything wrong. You broke up with Jay over two months ago! What was he supposed to do? Pine after you until you deemed him worthy of your time again? Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but he moved on…to me."

Alex raised her hand to slap Emma, but Jay kicked his chair out from under him making a loud screeching sound on the tile floor in the now otherwise silent cafeteria and shot Alex a warning look. Alex dropped her hand and huffed in defeat.

Determined to have the last word, Alex quickly added, "You can't sustain the lifestyle he is used to. He _will_ get bored with the prude we all know you are and he'll be back knocking on my door, soon enough." Then, she stormed out of the cafeteria.

Jay put his arm around Emma and she smiled. She was proud of herself for standing up to Alex.

"You are sooo hot, right now." Jay said, smirking. "That is one sharp tongue you have there…And, you do know that what Alex said about me getting bored with you will never happen, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Still reeling from her spark of bravery, Emma quipped, "How could anyone get bored with this?" She winked at Jay and then unable to resist her any longer, he kissed her.

The chatter in the cafeteria rose again as Jay and Emma sat down to finally enjoy their lunch together.

"You were truly amazing." Jay admired.

"Well, you're not the only one who can be protective in this relationship." Emma stated.

"Point taken." Jay nodded.

Lunch ended and everyone went back to class.

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**Hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing! More is coming soon!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Sorry, this one is kind of short. I will try to post more soon. Enjoy!**

* * *

The last class of the day was finally over and Emma was at her locker when Manny came running up to her.

"Emma!" Manny shouted. "J.T. and Liberty just told me what happened in the cafeteria earlier!"

"And where were _you_?" Emma asked curiously.

Manny rolled her eyes. "Ugh, I had to do some research in the library for a history project. I wish I had been there to see you go off on Alex, though."

"It felt so awesome, Manny!"

"Wow, Em, I didn't realize you had such a tough girl streak."

"I did." came the deep voice of someone behind Emma.

Emma swung around to see who said that. She lit up as she greeted her boyfriend. "Hi, Jay."

Emma turned back to Manny with a smile and Jay put his arms around her waist from behind her.

"How's my Million Dollar Baby feeling?" Jay asked.

Emma laughed and put her hands on top of his. "I'm okay, a little tired, I guess."

Jay, then, nodded toward Manny, realizing that he should probably recognize that she was there, too. "Hey, Manny."

"Jay." Manny greeted, curtly, and only for Emma's sake.

Emma looked up and to the side at Jay. "Wait a sec. What do you mean you knew I could be tough? How could you possibly know that I could hold my own against Alex? I didn't even know where what I said came from."

Jay smirked. "Can't you just believe me already when I tell you that I know you? When you're passionate about something, nothing can stop you from getting the result you want. Whether it be cleaning the ravine or starting an anti-violence campaign, you always go all the way. Even with your recent injury, I knew you wouldn't let anything or anyone come between us, just like I wouldn't either."

"So, you knew that Alex was going to back down, without a fight, the whole time?" Emma asked in surprise.

"Well, actually, I thought she might try to hit you," Jay confessed, honestly, "but I wouldn't have let that happen. What I did know, was that you were not going to be the one to retreat and that you wouldn't stop until she left us alone. Em, I wish you could see yourself the way I do. You are the strongest person I have ever met. Just being around you intimidates me."

"Really?" Emma could not believe that anyone, let alone Jay Hogart, could be intimidated by her, but it did feel nice to hear.

"Really." Jay admitted. "My head is constantly telling me that I don't deserve you, but it just makes me want to be better for you…So, now that I have laid out all of my insecurities in front of you and your skeptical best friend, let's get you home, okay?

"Sounds good to me." Emma said with a smile. "Bye, Manny."

"Bye, Em! See you tomorrow!" Manny said back. She now had a new understanding of what Emma and Jay meant to each other.

"Yeah, okay!" Emma confirmed, happily.

Jay let go of Emma's waist and took her hand in his as they walked to his car.


	24. Chapter 24

Two more days of school went by and Alex stayed clear of Emma and Jay, who were inseparable, when not in class. As Saturday came around, Emma was just waking up for the day, when Spike came down the stairs to talk to her.

"Emma, the doctor called and wants you to come in today to make sure you are doing okay."

"Do I really have to go back there?" Emma whined.

"Yes," Spike answered, "but it should be a quick check-up."

"Fine." Emma huffed. "Well, I'll be ready soon…I guess."

Spike went back upstairs and Emma tried as hard as she could to buy herself some time before having to go back to the hospital. She called Jay to tell him that she was going back to the doctor today.

"Do you want me to come?" Jay asked.

"No, my mom says it shouldn't take long, so I'll just go over to your place when I get back."

"Okay…If you're sure." Jay pressed.

"I'm sure."

They both hung up and much to Emma's disappointment, she was finally ready to go to the hospital. Once Emma and her mother arrived at the hospital, the doctor checked her out and observed that she was healing well.

Emma, then, abruptly spoke up. "Good, then can I leave?"

"I want to run a blood test and I need to alter your painkiller prescription to a lower dosage, but, yes, you should be able to leave shortly." the doctor replied.

Spike and Emma waited while the doctor ran some tests and then a little while later, the doctor came back in.

"Emma's iron level is still a bit lower than I would like it to be," the doctor began, "…so I am going to prescribe a different vitamin supplement than the one I have you on now. The possible side-effects are pretty much the same except with this new one you have an increased possibility of feeling withdrawn and in very rare cases some have even reported significant personality changes due to a chemical imbalance in the brain caused by the supplement. Just give me a call if you experience anything out of the ordinary."

"Yeah, okay, whatever. Can I go now?" Emma asked impatiently.

"Emma!" Spike yelled, scolding her daughter for being so rude.

The doctor turned to Spike. "It's okay, I understand her anxiety. You can take her home now. Just be sure to pick up the new vitamins on your way out."

"Okay. Thank you…for everything." Spike said, hoping to express her sincere and overwhelming gratitude.

The doctor nodded, Spike and Emma picked up the new prescriptions and then left the hospital. Once home, Emma walked over to Jay's to spend the rest of the day with him.

*At Jay's*

Jay greeted Emma at his front door and they both took a seat on his couch. Jay sat down against the armrest on one side of the couch and Emma laid across the couch, resting her head on Jay's chest. Jay put his arms around her, gently, being careful not to touch the sensitive area around her stitches.

"So, what did the doctor say?" Jay asked.

"That I'm healing well, but my iron is low."

Jay turned serious and concerned. "What does that mean?"

"Not much. Basically, it just means that I might be a little more tired than usual, but the doctor prescribed a different vitamin for me, that should help."

Jay relaxed. "Oh, that's good." He brushed some hair out of Emma's eyes and they both sighed contently. They watched some TV and then fell asleep on the couch, together.

Emma was the first to wake up from their nap and decided to kiss Jay out of his slumber. She lifted her head, shifted ever so slightly, and gently touched her lips to Jay's. Without opening his eyes, Jay, again carefully, pulled Emma onto his lap, catching her off guard, and kissed her back with intense passion.

Emma pulled back for a second. "Hey, I thought I was the one doing the surprising here!"

Jay laughed. "Sorry. I just couldn't help myself!"

"Uh-huh, I'm sure." Emma said as she leaned in to kiss him again. "…What time is it anyway?"

Jay looked over at the clock on the wall. "5:20."

"Oh, I should probably head home." Emma reluctantly stated.

"Okay…if you must. I'll drive you over there." Jay offered.

"No, it's okay." Emma gently declined. "I can walk."

"Then will you let me walk you home?"

"If you really want to, but, honestly, I can handle it." Emma did not want to be treated like a damsel in distress.

"I know you can." Jay assured. "I just want to."

"Okay, then." Emma conceded. "Shall we?"

Jay walked Emma home, kissed her goodbye, and then headed back to his place. Jay had come such a long way in such a short period of time. Telling a girl that he loved her…and actually meaning it? Walking her home? Whatever it was that he had gotten himself into, Emma Nelson was decidedly worth it.

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**I hope this tides you over for the weekend. I will post again in a few days. Thanks for reading! **


	25. Chapter 25

Skipping Sunday and going straight to Monday, at school, Jay had not seen Emma at all on Sunday and Snake had given her a ride to school this Monday morning, so Jay was now hoping to see her in the hall sometime during the school day. Sure enough, he spotted Emma talking to Manny in front of their lockers, between two classes, came up behind Emma, and put his arms around her waist.

"Hey, beautiful, how are you feeling today?"

Emma pulled Jay's arms off of her, stepped out of his embraced, and turned around to face him. "I'm fine." she stated sullenly and not at all convincingly to Jay.

Confused, Jay asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Emma began plainly, "I just don't want to be held right now, that's all. I need to go to class anyway. I'll see you later, Manny. Bye, Jay."

Emma headed off to class in a hurry and left Manny and Jay still standing there by the lockers.

"That was weird." Jay said to Manny.

"Yeah, she's been acting kind of strange all day." Manny agreed. "She's just not her normal, chipper, self. Do you know if anything bad happened this weekend?"

"She had a doctor's appointment on Saturday, but she came over to my place after and said that everything was fine. I didn't see her at all yesterday, though."

"That's funny, I didn't talk to her yesterday either…" Manny stated, even though the situation was not actually humorous at all.

The bell rang and Manny and Jay had to part ways, but Jay could not concentrate in his next class. He was too worried about what was up with Emma. Luckily, it was his last class of the day. He waited anxiously for it to be over. When it finally did, he was the first one out the door and he set out to find Emma to see what was going on. Emma had already left school, on foot, and was already halfway home before Jay caught up to her.

"Em, wait up!" Jay yelled as he jogged up to her.

Emma stopped walking and turned around. "Oh, hi, Jay. What's up?" she asked in an eerily pleasant, but not exactly happy to see him, tone.

"What's up?" Jay asked incredulously. "What do you mean, what's up? What's up with _you_?"

"Nothing, I'm just walking home." Emma said in that same eerie, almost but not quite placid kind of tone.

"I thought I was going to drive you."

Emma shrugged. "I just felt like walking…I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Although she was speaking to Jay, it seemed like she was somewhere else entirely. She started to walk away.

"Wait…What's going on with you?" Jay asked with a mix of confusion and desperation in his voice. "You're acting really weird."

"I don't know what you're talking about." came the eerie tone in Emma's voice again. "I don't _feel_ weird. I just wanna go home, so I'll talk to you later."

Emma walked away and Jay just let her because he didn't know what else to do. He was puzzled by her behavior, but she did not seem upset, so he just walked back to his car and drove himself home. He convinced himself that things would be back to normal tomorrow…

Emma came to school the next morning wearing a solid black mini skirt, a very low, scoop neck, hot pink, tank top, and heavy makeup. Her hair was down and straight. As she walked down the hall, everyone stared, but, as someone who was usually bothered by having all eyes on her, she seemed oddly unaffected by this occurrence and continued nonchalantly on her way. Emma walked right up to Jay, grabbed him by the collar of his t-shirt, and pulled him into the janitor's closet nearby. She kissed Jay, hard, and he seemed into it at first, but then his common sense crept back into his extremities and he pulled away.

"What is this, Emma?(!)" Jay demanded.

"It's just…hi." She smiled crookedly. "What's the matter? Don't you want me?" she asked as she leaned in to try to kiss him again.

Jay put his hands on her shoulders to hold her back. "Of course I do, but not like this. It's not like you to run so hot and cold. Yesterday, you didn't even want me to touch you, and then today you're all over me. It just doesn't make sense…And, what's with the outfit?"

"You don't like it?" Emma asked, but it was more of a challenge for him to say otherwise, than an actual question spun with disappointment.

"It's not that, it's just not you." They both knew that he was not going to say he did not like the look, but Jay had a hard time believing that Emma was actually comfortable in this image. "You know I love you just the way you normally are."

"I guess I just felt like a change." She tried to get closer again.

Jay locked his elbows out straight, pushing Emma farther away from him and ensuring that the distance would stick. He was growing more frustrated and tired of her games. "Well, the new you is too much for me! I don't get why you're acting like this. Which Emma am I gonna get tomorrow, huh? …Why don't you just call me if the old Emma Nelson, you know the down-to-earth-I-have-virtue one, shows back up." Jay stormed out of the closet and avoided Emma for the rest of the day. He knew he had been harsh, but he did not sign on to his first real relationship just to be going out with the personification of every other girl he had ever hooked up with. He loved Emma because she was different and he did not have the patience for another Alex or Amy in his life.

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**I know that was probably a little frustrating for you to read. Hang in there! I will try to post more very soon!**


	26. Chapter 26

**I am sorry it took so long to get this up! It's crunch time at my university! Anyway, sorry if the last chapter and this one are a little weak. It is all leading up to a much better scene which will be coming up very soon.**

**Also, I hope everyone from the US had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Please enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

Emma went straight home after school. As she entered the house, any hope of her sneaking by without her mother seeing what she was wearing came to a screeching halt, when she found Spike cleaning in the kitchen.

"Emma, is that you?" Spike asked, with her back to Emma. "How was your day?"

Emma was hesitant. Did she want to tell her mother everything that had happened today, or just go sulk, alone, in her room? "Fine…"

Spike still did not turn around to see her daughter, but she could tell by the tone of Emma's voice that something was not right. "Are you sure? Is everything okay?"

Emma decided to get it out as fast as she could and then make a run for it. "Jay broke up with me!" She ran to the basement door and almost made it without being seen, until Spike turned around.

"What?" Spike asked incredulously, and then she noticed Emma's outfit. "Emma Christine Nelson, what are you wearing?"

Emma rolled her eyes. Of all the things going on in her life right now, her wardrobe seemed like the last thing her mother should be worried about. "They're just clothes, Mom."

"Yeah, well those _clothes_ are not appropriate for school, young lady!"

"Fine. I won't wear them again." Emma suddenly thought of something that might give her that chance to be alone after all. "In fact," she began, "I'll just go down and change right now." She started to open the door to the basement.

"Hold it!" Spike commanded. "Did you say that you and Jay broke up?"

Emma sighed and closed the door. She knew she was in for a long talk now. "Yeah…"

"What happened?" Spike asked in a now softer tone. "Come, sit, and talk to me."

They sat down at the kitchen table.

"I'm not really sure what happened." Emma started, honestly. "Jay said I wasn't acting like myself and that he just couldn't handle it anymore."

"That's a strange thing for him to say."

"No, he's right!" Emma exclaimed. "I haven't been myself lately."

"What do you mean?" Spike asked, confused.

"Didn't you notice that I stayed in my room all day Sunday and didn't talk to anyone?" Emma asked pointedly.

"I just thought you wanted some time to yourself." Spike answered.

"In a way I did," Emma admitted, "but I just didn't _feel_ like talking to anyone or doing anything."

"I guess you're right," Spike agreed, "that isn't really like you."

"Then, on Monday," Emma continued, "I felt so unconnected to everything around me. I pushed Jay away and was basically emotionless all day. I knew he was confused, but I couldn't help _him_ when _I_ didn't even understand what was going on…And, today…well, I'm sure you can tell," she paused as she looked down at her clothes for a second, "that I am anything but avoiding attention." She started to breakdown. "I don't deserve Jay! He was with me through so much and then I acted like a complete psycho with him! What is wrong with me?(!)"

"I'm not sure, but…" Spike trailed off as she remembered something.

Spike called Emma's doctor, described how Emma was acting, and asked if it could be because of her new medication. The doctor said it was possible and wanted Spike to bring Emma in as soon as she could.

*At the hospital*

The doctor talked to Emma for awhile and then concluded that Emma's sudden change in behavior was, in fact, due to a chemical imbalance caused by her new vitamin supplement.

"So what does that mean, exactly?" Emma asked.

"It means that your brain is functioning differently because of one of the ingredients in the vitamins I recently prescribed you, and it has caused a temporary personality shift."

"Oh…" Emma said a bit relieved at the mention of the word 'temporary.'

"I'm going to change your prescription again to a supplement with fewer side effects." the doctor informed Emma.

Emma was anxious to know when exactly she would be back to herself, so that she could talk to Jay again. "How soon will I-?"

The doctor cut her off, seeing the desperation in her eyes. "It should only take a few days to see a significant difference and then you should be back to your regular self."

Emma sighed with relief. "That's really good to hear. Thank you."

"I'm just glad you came in when you did," the doctor replied, "and that we fixed the issue quickly."

"Me too." Emma responded.

Spike and Emma left the hospital with the new prescription.

*In the car*

"How am I going to explain this to Jay?" Emma asked her mother. "What if he doesn't want to talk to me?"

"I'm sure it'll work out." Spike answered, waving off her daughter's concern.

"I hope so." Emma sighed, a bit unconvinced.

When they arrived at home, Emma went down to her room to think about how to get Jay back.

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**Thanks for reading! And, like I said, better things are happening soon!**


	27. Chapter 27

The next day was a rather rough one for Emma. Her mother had allowed her to stay home and take some time to get back to normal. She stayed in her room most of the day feeling extremely uncomfortable in her own skin. Anytime she would set her mind to do something like make a snack, take a walk, or read a book, a few minutes later she would not want to do it anymore. She went through such a huge range of emotions while she kept herself isolated in her room, from crying to laughing, to throwing things around the room. She just wanted to be herself again…and now!

Meanwhile, at school, Jay noticed that Emma wasn't there and worried that he had been too callous with her the day before. He wondered what could possibly keep her from going to school. Although he was frustrated with how she had been acting lately, he still loved her and was concerned by her absence.

On Thursday, after not seeing her best friend at school for the past two days, Manny went over to Emma's house, after school, to check on her.

"Hey, Em!" Manny greeted as she slipped down to Emma's room.

"Manny?" Emma was surprised by the cheery voice that reverberated around her formerly depressing room. "What are you doing here?(!)"

"I just came to check on you. I was worried when you weren't at school yesterday and today, especially after the way you have been acting lately…"

"Yeah, I haven't really been myself the past few days."

"What's been going on?" Manny asked.

"The doctor says-."

Manny cut her off in shock. "Doctor?(!) Emma!"

"It's okay, now." Emma reassured. "My mom took me to the doctor on Tuesday, after I had a bit of a meltdown. The doctor said that my meds where messing with my head, or whatever, so I had to get, yet another, prescription. I haven't been back to school yet because it's taking me a few days to become me again."

"Oh Emma! I had no idea." Manny gave Emma a sympathetic look and then thought of something else. "Does Jay know?(!)"

"No…he kinda…broke up with me over the way I was acting."

"What? Really? Well, if it helps, he's been moping around school since you've been out. I think if you told him what happened, he'd want to get back together with you."

"He'd have to want to be in the same room with me first." Emma responded, self-deprecatingly.

"Honestly, I don't think that's going to be a problem." Manny offered. "He is so madly in love with you."

"But, I acted like a crazy person!" Emma retorted.

"It wasn't your fault! If he can't understand that, then you're better off without him, but you should at least give him a chance to listen."

Emma was still hesitant. "I just want to make sure I'm completely better before I see him again."

Manny could tell that Emma was just stalling and tried to give her a little nudge. "You seem fine to me."

"Fine." Emma conceded, knowing that Manny could see right through her. "I'll talk to him tomorrow…after school."

"Good."

"Why do you care so much? I thought you hated Jay."

"I've never seen either of you happier than you are when you're with each other." Manny answered.

They talked some more, Manny then went home, and Emma finally ventured out of her room to spend some time with her parents and little brother, before going to bed early so that she would be ready to go back to school in the morning.


	28. Chapter 28

It was now Friday and Emma was somewhat relieved to be back at school, after missing two days. She was nervous about seeing Jay, however. She knew that she had to say just the right thing. What that was, though, had yet to be determined in her mind.

The bell to end the first class of the day rang and everyone entered the halls. In the midst of the mad rush of people, two grade niners were messing around, throwing something back and forth, when one of them accidently bumped Emma into someone else. Emma and the other innocent bystander fell into each other's arms and rammed up against a locker. Emma looked up to see who she had fallen into and found that it was Jay. He quickly looked around for the niners, with anger, but they were long gone. Jay, then, looked down and saw Emma pressed up against him. For a moment, they looked into each other's eyes and were completely still. Then, Emma realized nothing was pushing her against Jay anymore, blinked, and stepped back.

Emma sighed. "Hi."

Jay sighed back. "Hey. You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Emma confirmed.

Jay nodded his head in acknowledgement of her answer and then looked away, nervously. Emma could tell that the moment was awkward for the both of them. She searched for Jay's eyes with her own, and then spoke again, a bit shakily. "Umm, can w-we talk…a-after school?"

Jay looked back at her and sort of half smiled. "Sure. Where do you wanna meet?"

In an attempt to lighten the mood and remind Jay of good times, Emma used a coded phrase that they had started a while back to describe a certain bench in the park. "How about that place we went, that time, when we saw that thing?"

Jay sighed in recognition of what she was trying to do. "Okay, I'll see you there, later."

They began to stare at each other intensely, again, and then the bell rang. They both jumped a little and then went to their separate classes…Manny was in Emma's second period class.

"Hey, Em." Manny said.

Emma sat down next to Manny and smiled. "Hey!"

"What's up? You seem like you're in a better mood today."

"I just saw Jay." Emma blushed.

"And?(!)" Manny demanded more, eagerly.

"It was pretty awkward, but he did agree to meet up with me, later."

"Well, that's something."

"Yeah…Yeah, it is." Emma agreed in a dreamy state.

With that, Emma started to feel better about things, but she still had no idea what she was going to say to Jay in the park. She went through the rest of her classes in a daze as she tried to come up with something.

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**I loved writing that little moment between Emma and Jay! I hope you enjoyed reading it! More is coming soon!**


	29. Chapter 29

School finally ended, Emma rushed over to the park, and she waited on the bench for Jay. A few minutes later, Jay came down the path with his hands in the front pocket of his hoodie, giving off an extremely reserved vibe with his body language.

He shrugged his shoulders and surprisingly greeted first. "Hey."

Emma smiled and returned his greeting. "Hey." She slid over to one side of the bench and turned toward the other end of it, wanting Jay to sit there.

Jay took his hands out of his pocket, sat down on the bench, and turned to face Emma. There was a long awkward silence and then Emma spoke up. "Okay…I know you're upset with me for acting so outrageous, but…" She trailed off as the rest of the words failed her.

"But what?" Jay calmly but sternly pressed.

Emma tried again. "It wasn't technically my fault."

Jay raised an eyebrow in suspicion but remained silent, waiting for Emma to continue.

Emma took a deep breath and then went on with her explanation. "The medication my doctor had me on was affecting my brain. I had to go back to the hospital and the doctor changed my prescription again. I stayed home for two days to ride out any after effects and to give myself time to regulate again."

"I'm an idiot." Jay said while internally scolding himself.

Emma put her hand on his knee. "No, you didn't know."

"But, I should have!" Jay replied. "I should have known that you wouldn't act like that for no reason."

"How could you have possibly known?" Emma asked, trying to let Jay off the hook. "If you were acting like I was, I would have been upset too."

"But, I just pushed you away." Jay added as he continued to punish himself. "You needed me and I just didn't want to deal with you. I was selfish."

"But, so was I. It was easier to not let you in." Emma admitted. "I should've told you how off I was feeling, but, instead, I just kept to myself."

"I'm the one who messed up. I didn't even-."

Jay was interrupted by Emma's lips on his. They shared a very passionate kiss and then Emma stopped for a moment but kept her face close to Jay's.

"I'll forgive you, if you take me back." Emma said with a smirk.

Jay smiled. "You're amazing." He pressed his lips to hers and then drew back again as it seemed that Emma wanted to say something else.

She teasingly pushed the issue. "So, is that a yes…?"

"Like you even have to ask." Jay said in a low, husky, voice and then he gave Emma a serious stare. "You do know it's impossible not to love you, right?" He kissed her again.

Emma smiled and then suddenly remembered something. "Oh!"

"What?" Jay asked, puzzled.

Emma reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed Jay's number and then turned her back to him.

Jay chuckled. "What are you-?

Emma turned her head to Jay for a second. "Answer it!" she commanded.

Jay gave a confused look but picked up his phone and answered.

"Hello?" Jay asked, playing along.

"Hi. Jay? This is Emma. I'm calling to tell you that I'm back."

Jay closed his phone and turned Emma around toward him. She, then, hung up too.

Jay smiled at her. "Glad to hear it." He kissed her yet again and it turned into a make-out session in the park.

Eventually, they pulled apart, breathless, and Jay shifted on the bench so that he was facing straight out to the park. Emma did the same and then Jay pulled her in close. She laid her head on his chest. They sat there for awhile longer just talking about random things and watching the people who walked by, until it started to get dark.

"Can I drive you home?" Jay asked.

Emma smiled. "I'd like that."

They stood up, Jay put his arm around Emma's shoulders, and she put hers around his lower back. Together, they walked to Jay's car.

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :) I have to take another break from posting probably for the rest of this week. School is crazy right now! I will try my best to post again on Sunday! Thanks for reading and hanging in there!**


	30. Chapter 30

Jay and Emma arrived at Emma's house a few minutes later. Jay parked his car in front of the house and turned to look at Emma, who had been staring and smiling at him during the entire ride.

"What?" Jay asked amused by the practically star-struck look in Emma's eyes.

"I really love you." Emma replied.

"I really love you, too…Are you gonna get out of the car tonight?"

Emma smirked. "Not yet." She kissed Jay sweetly. "Okay, now I'm leaving." she said as she reached for the door handle.

Jay smirked and cocked an eyebrow up. "What's the rush?" He pulled her back and returned the kiss.

Emma giggled as airflow to her brain lagged..."I really do need to go, now. My parents are probably wondering where I've been."

Pausing every couple of words to peck Emma's lips with his again and again, Jay said, "Okay, I'll…walk you…to the…door."

They both got out of the car. Jay came around to Emma's side and took her hand in his as they walked up to Emma's front door.

They both just stood there, for a moment, in front of the door smiling and staring at each other, until Emma broke the silence. "Bye, Jay."

"Bye, beautiful." Jay replied back. He tucked a piece of Emma's hair behind her ear and leaned in for one last kiss. Just then, the door began to open and Jay jumped back.

Emma snapped her head toward the now open doorway. "Hi, Mom." she sighed.

"I thought I heard something." Spike confessed. "Emma…Jason." she greeted rather stoically.

Jay nodded at Spike in reply.

"What are you two doing out here?" Spike asked, as if she did not already know.

"We went to the park after school," Emma answered, "and Jay was just bringing me home."

"Oh, really? So, are you two…back together?"

Emma flinched in embarrassment. "Yes, Mom." She mouthed 'I'm sorry' to Jay and he just smirked.

"I see." Spike said. "Well, would you like to come in for a minute, Jason?"

Saving them both from further embarrassment, Emma butted in, before Jay had a chance to reply. "Actually, Mom, he has to go home. Right, Jay?" She gave him a pleading look. "You have to do that thing."

Catching Emma's drift, Jay responded, "Right, my parents need me for a _thing_ at home…Sorry."

Spike gave them both a suspicious look. "O-kay, then, I guess this is goodnight."

Jay nodded. "Goodnight." He said to the both of them.

"Goodnight." Emma said with another apologetic look.

Jay started to walk to car, but for a second he looked back at Emma and she mouthed 'I love you.' He smiled, walked the rest of the way to his car, turned on the engine, and drove away.

Emma walked in the house and gave her mother a 'how could you do that to me' kind of look.

"What?" Spike asked, feigning innocence.

Emma shook her head, rolled her eyes, walked down to her room, and called Manny.

"Hello?" Manny answered.

"Manny! Get over here, now! I need to talk to you!"

Manny noted the desperation in Emma's voice. "Okay, I'll be right over."

*About 15 minutes later*

"Emma! Manny's here!" Spike yelled down to Emma's room.

"Okay!" Emma yelled back. "Just send her down, please!"

Manny went down to Emma's room. "Hey, Em! What's up? Are you okay?"

A huge smile grew across Emma's face. "Jay and I made up."

Manny squealed with happiness and Emma joined in.

"Is everything okay down there?(!)" Spike yelled from upstairs.

"Yeah, Mom, we're fine!"

Emma and Manny giggled.

"Alright, just checking!" Spike said and then left them alone for the rest of the night.

"Oh my gosh, Em! Tell me everything!" Manny commanded.

Emma gave Manny the details of what happened with Jay earlier that day and Manny spent the night as they continued to talk until they just could not keep their eyes open any longer.

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**Thanks for waiting on this chapter! More is coming soon!**


	31. Chapter 31

Manny went back to her own house on Saturday afternoon, then, something happened early on Saturday evening that had Emma preoccupied for the rest of the weekend, causing Jay and Manny to not be able to see her again until Monday morning at school.

Jay greeted Emma at her locker after first period. "Hey, beautiful. I missed you this weekend."

Coming out of deep thought, Emma barely acknowledged his presence. "Oh, hi, Jay." Everything about her this morning gave off the vibe that she was completely and utterly worn out.

Jay expressed his concern. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just haven't had much sleep this weekend."

"Why's that?" he asked with innocent curiosity.

"I don't really feel like talking about it right now." With that, Emma thought she had been clear enough and started to walk away.

"Em, wait! Come on!" Jay tried, but he was too late. Emma was already in her next classroom.

Emma continued to embody pure exhaustion for the remainder of the week. Jay was growing more and more concerned with their consistently brief conversations and had an odd sense of déjà vu. It was now Friday, school had just ended, and Jay was determined to finally have a conversation with Emma that lasted longer than five minutes. Jay spotted Emma heading to the front door, to leave school, and he cut her off.

"Please don't do this Jay." Emma begged. "I just need to get home."

"Not until you tell me what's going on." Jay asserted.

Emma gritted her teeth. "I don't have time for this right now."

"Fine. I'll drive you home, if you talk to me on the way."

"I can't!" Emma insisted.

"Why not?" Jay was becoming frustrated with Emma. "Come on, didn't we just go through this? I thought we were over this shutting each other out thing. Why can't you just tell me what's going on?"

"Because, I just need to keep myself together right now." Emma answered as a bit of vulnerability leaked out.

Jay looked at her, confused, and then pulled her to the parking lot and into his car.

"It's just you and me now." Jay declared. "Please talk to me, Em."

"I told you, I don't want to." Emma protested once again. "Why are you doing this?(!)"

"Because, I love you and I can tell something is upsetting you. I can't stand to see you in pain."

Emma finally gave in to his pleas with a sigh. "It's my little brother, Jack. He's really sick. We took him to the hospital last Saturday and he's been in there this whole week. I haven't slept in days, but I have to stay strong for my parents. My mom cries all the time, and Snake just keeps himself buried in school stuff."

"There's no one here but us." Jay reassured. "You don't have to be strong for me."

"I'm scared that if I start now, I won't be able to stop."

"Just let me be here for you."

"I can't…" Despite Emma's words, she finally broke down and started to cry.

Jay pulled her close to him and held her, tight, as she cried. They sat in the car for a long time like that, until Emma pulled away and sat up.

Emma sniffled and wiped her tears away. She laughed at herself, faintly, a little embarrassed for having completely lost her composure in front of her boyfriend. "Thanks. I need that."

"I'm always here for you." Jay affirmed.

"I just thought I could handle everything all on my own."

"Well, I guess even Emma-I-wanna-save-the-world-Nelson needs someone to lean on every now and then."

"Yeah. Who knew?" Emma weakly joked as she attempted a smile.

Jay smiled back. "What can I do?"

"Take me to the hospital? My parents are probably already there."

Jay started the car, drove Emma to the hospital, and stayed with her while she visited Jack. Her parents were going to spend the night there but didn't want Emma to have to stay too, so they asked Jay if he would take her home and, blame it on exhaustion or just plain insanity, they asked Jay if he would stay with Emma overnight.

Spike turned to Jay. "I just worry about her being alone right now and you've shown us that you can take good care of her."

Jay was shocked at what they were allowing. "Of course…if you think that's best." He smirked. "I'd be happy to stay with her tonight."

Spike then turned to her daughter. "Jason sleeps on the couch. Are we clear?"

Emma smiled. "Crystal."

Jay and Emma left the hospital and headed to Emma's house.

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**Hmmm, Jay and Emma spending the night together, alone? More is coming soon! Thanks for reading!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Here is the next chapter! Look for another new one later today that picks up right where this one leaves off! Enjoy and more is coming soon! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

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When Jay and Emma arrived at Emma's house, they both announced that they were hungry.

"I can make us some of my world famous sandwiches again…" Jay suggested.

"I think it's my turn to make us something." Emma retorted.

"You cook?" Jay asked in disbelief.

"Hey, I can make some stuff!" Emma answered defensively.

"Yeah? Like what…cereal?"

"Listen, you! Do you wanna eat tonight or what?" Emma threatened.

Jay laughed. "Okay, just let me help you."

"Fine." Emma allowed. She searched through the cabinets and decided that she had everything she needed to make spaghetti. She reached up to get a pot from a high cabinet… "Ow! Darn it!"

"Are you okay?" Jay asked in a panic.

"I think so." Emma answered calmingly. "It's just still a little tender where my stitches were." Then, she stubbornly tried to reach for the pot with her other hand.

"Dang, Nelson! You are the most determined person I have ever met." Jay reached up, laced his fingers with Emma's, and pulled her arm down. He put his other hand on her back and pulled her up against him. He looked deep into her eyes and then kissed her, passionately.

Emma opened her eyes, slowly. "What was that?"

"I'm hoping it was a distraction long enough to make you realize that when I said I would help, I meant that I would actually, you know, _help_. I'm starting by getting you that pot, whether you like it or not."

"Fine." Emma conceded.

Jay brought the pot down from the cabinet and Emma filled it with water. She put it on the stove and as she waited for it to boil, she sat down, favoring her side. This did not go unnoticed by Jay.

"Can I look at it?" he asked.

"I'm fine." Emma combated, stubbornly.

"Humor me." Jay said as he knelt down next to where Emma was sitting, lifted her shirt, slightly, and gently pealed her bandage back.

Jay put his fingers on her side just below the wound and Emma pulled back abruptly, in pain.

"Sorry." He gave her a reassuring look that he would be gentler next time.

Emma nodded and Jay touched her again as he examined the post-stitches cut. She saw the seriousness in his face and actions, and she smiled.

Jay looked up at her. "What?"

"I think it's cute how concerned you look right now." Emma confessed.

"Take that back!"

Emma giggled. "No, I'm serious! I love that you care so much."

"Yeah, well, it looks fine to me, but I'm no doctor." Jay said, honestly. "At least you're not bleeding again."

"Yeah, it just feels kind of sore. I think I'm good, though."

"I think so too." Jay replaced the bandage and pulled Emma's shirt back down.

Emma kissed him as he started to get back up, but when the water started to boil over the pot, it interrupted their kiss and they both looked over at the stove. Emma jumped up, leaving Jay still kneeling on the floor, and quickly turned the stove temperature down a little.

"Can you get the pasta, please?" Emma asked.

"Yeah." Jay got up quickly and took the box of pasta from the cabinet Emma was pointing to. "Here you go, beautiful."

"Thanks, sexy." Emma said with a smirk and Jay raised one of his eyebrows and smirked back at her.


	33. Chapter 33

"Sexy, eh?" Jay questioned suggestively.

"Yeah." Emma poured the dry pasta into the boiling water. "You're so sexy that it's distracting."

"But, in a good way, right?" Jay asked playfully.

Emma was facing the stove, stirring the pot, when Jay came up behind her and put his arms around her hips. It took everything she had to not let her knees buckle right then and there, as it was, she just about tipped the pot onto the floor.

"Not at this particular moment." Emma answered.

"Aww, come on." Jay gripped her tighter, sending shivers down her spine.

"No, stop! If you don't want to be eating dinner off of the floor, go sit over there!" Emma pointed to the kitchen table with the spoon in her hand.

"Okay, fine." Jay let her go and sat down at the table.

Emma was finally able to continue making the spaghetti. As she poured the sauce into another pot that Jay brought down for her and added a few special spices to it, Jay just sat there watching her every move. She eventually looked over at him.

"What are you staring at?" Emma demanded.

"You." Jay bit his lower lip and scanned his girlfriend from head to toe, with his eyes.

"Whatever." Emma said dismissively. No matter how many times Jay complimented her, she was still self-conscious. She rolled her eyes and went back to what she was doing.

Emma finished making the dinner and they both started to eat it.

Jay took the first bite and teased, "Umm…"

Emma sunk into her chair. "You hate it. I knew it! I cooked it too long." She stood up and started to pick up the plates. "I'll just order a pizza."

Jay weighed Emma's hands down so that she put the plates back down on the table. "No, don't!" He looked right into her eyes. "I like it."

"Really? You're not just saying that? Because, I can-."

Jay cut her off. "No, I really like it. I was just messing with you. It really is good." He smiled at her.

"Oh." She blushed, sat back down, and breathed a sigh of relief.

They both laughed and continued to eat dinner.

"…Now what do you wanna do?" Jay asked as he dried the last dish Emma had washed and handed to him.

"We could watch a movie." Emma suggested.

"Sounds good to me. What do you have?"

"Hmm, probably mostly chick flicks." Emma looked at her movie collection on the shelf in the living room. "Oh, wait, I have _The Day After Tomorrow_."

"Yeah, that's a good one."

They sat together on the couch in each other's arms and watched the movie.

Halfway through the movie, Jay asked, "How are you feeling?"

Emma answered, keeping her eyes on the movie, "Oh, much better. Completely pain-free."

"Really?" Jay asked seriously.

"Yes, really." Emma answered as she looked up into Jay's eyes to prove her honesty.

"Okay then, glad to hear it." Jay approved.

About an hour later, the movie ended and they were both ready to go to bed. Emma, especially, after not sleeping soundly in days was ready to get some rest.

"I'll go get you some stuff to make a bed on the couch." Emma told Jay as she left the room.

A few minutes later, she came back and handed some sheets and a pillow to Jay.

"Thanks." Jay stretched the sheets over the couch and laid down.

Emma turned out all the lights and laid down next to him.

"What are you doing?" Jay asked, puzzled.

"My mom didn't say where _I_ had to sleep." Emma answered slyly. "She just said that _you_ had to be on the couch. Are you on the couch?"

"Well, yeah."

"Then we're still doing what she wanted."

"I love the way you think." Jay stated as he put his arms around her.

They laid there for a few minutes in silence and then Emma spoke again.

"Jay?"

"Yeah."

"Thank you for everything you did today."

"I didn't do much." Jay replied, belittling his efforts.

"You were there and that's what matters most."

"I will always be there when you need me." Jay promised. "You just have to let me in."

"I'll try to remember that." Emma assured.

"Good."

Emma fell asleep, first, shortly after that, and Jay just laid there feeling her breathe in his arms until he, too, fell asleep.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the conclusion of that scene. Thanks for reading! It may be a few more days before the next chapter. I am trying to wrap up my semester within these next few days and I am feeling a little under the weather, so I will do my best to post again as soon as I can! See you soon!**


	34. Chapter 34

The next morning, Jay and Emma woke up to the sound of a key turning in the front door lock.

"Oh, crap!" Emma said under her breath.

Emma and Jay, both, rose up just in time to peer over the couch and see Spike, who was carrying Jack, and Snake, who was right behind them, coming in the front door.

"Emma!" Spike exclaimed in an accusatory tone. "What are you doing on the couch? Have you been there all night?" She handed Jack over to Snake to take upstairs.

Emma looked from Jay to Spike and then, deciding that she had nothing to hide, answered, "Yeah…but, all we did was sleep."

Spike gave Emma a shocked look, then said, "Uh, Jason, thanks for being there for Emma yesterday, but I'd appreciate it if you went home now."

"No problem." Jay replied, not looking for a confrontation, and stood up quickly.

Emma got up, too, and walked Jay to the door. They both leaned in for a kiss, but Spike cleared her throat, loudly, and they jumped apart. Emma gave Jay a quick hug, whispered "I love you" in his ear, he said it back, and then he left. Emma shut the door and turned around, smiling, only to see a stern look on Spike's face and a similar look from Snake, who was coming down the stairs.

"I put Jack down for a nap." Snake told Spike.

"That's good because we need some time to talk with you, Emma." Spike said.

Emma tried to act oblivious as she asked, "What about?"

The three of them walked to the living room and sat down.

"You know exactly what about." Spike answered pointedly. "When I told you that Jay had to sleep on the couch, I meant alone."

Emma insisted on continuing to try to play innocent. "You did?"

Spike knew her daughter better than that, though. "Yes, Miss Smartie, I did."

Emma knew the jig was up, stopped pretending, and boldly rolled her eyes. "I told you, nothing happened."

"And, I believe you," Spike admitted, "but I'm concerned that…" She trailed off, unable to find the right words for what she wanted to impress upon her daughter.

Snake jumped in, trying to help Spike with her point. "We're concerned that sleeping _next to_ Jay can lead to other things and neither of us want you to go down that road again, before you're ready."

"Technically," Emma began defensively, "I haven't gone down _that road_ yet, and I'm the only one who knows when I'll be ready, anyway."

"That's true," Spike allowed, "but we just don't want you to be pressured into anything."

"Jay wouldn't do that. He wouldn't push me into anything I didn't want to do. We're in love."

Spike cringed slightly. "But, your relationship is still fairly new and you both are still so young. Are you sure you know what real love feels like?"

"Yeah, we're young," Emma agreed, "but we've already been through so much. Love is different for different people and I happen to think that love is based on being there for each other no matter what happens. Jay has definitely proven himself there."

"What about that huge fight you two just went through?" Spike asked, not so subtly.

"That was only because we had some communication issues to work out, but we did and we came out stronger on the other side." Emma explained.

"I just think you should take things slow." Spike continued to insist. "I know you think Jason has changed, but his reputation still worries me."

"Believe me," Emma retorted, "I am fully aware of his reputation _and_ the consequences of going too far too fast. Maybe even a little too well aware."

Snake chimed in, "That might be so, but we just don't want to see you get hurt again. You've come so far lately."

"Yeah, thanks to Jay." Emma argued. "He's the reason I've been so much happier. He loves me for me and he tells me I'm beautiful."

"Well, I'm glad he makes you happy, but we just want you to be careful." Spike replied.

"I _am_ being careful, I promise." Emma assured. "…Can I go over to Jay's now?" she asked abruptly and a bit impatiently.

Spike sighed. "I guess, but just for a few hours. We need you to babysit later today."

"Okay!" Emma hollered as she ran out the door. She couldn't leave fast enough.

*At Jay's*

Emma knocked on Jay's door. He opened it and saw an unhappy Emma before him.

"Hey, beautiful." Jay greeted, trying to make her smile. "Come on in. You look tense."

They walked over to the couch. As Emma sat down, Jay stood up behind her and began to massage her shoulders.

"I just had a heated conversation with my parents about _doing it_ before I'm ready." Emma blurted.

Jay stopped massaging for a few seconds. "Whoa, that sounds rough. Do they think I'm pressuring you?"

Emma turned around to look at him. "Basically, yeah, but I set them straight. I just don't understand them sometimes." She turned back around and Jay started to massage her again.

"They say they are in support of our relationship and then they question my judgment. I just don't get it!"

Jay came around to the couch, sat down next to Emma, and wrapped her into his arms.

"So, how did you leave things?" Jay asked, concerned that he was coming between Emma and her parents. "Do they know you're here?"

"Yeah, they know, but they told me to _be careful_." Emma said in her best parental sounding voice.

"You know you don't have to worry about me pressuring you into anything. I'm fine with waiting, because I love you." Jay told her with genuine sincerity.

"I know, I just wish _they_ could get that…And, you know that if you ever did try something, I'd be the first in line to castrate you."

Jay smiled. "Oh, I know. I'm shaking just thinking about it." He faux shuddered and then they both laughed.

Jay pulled Emma closer and kissed her on the top of her head. They just hung out some more until it was time for Emma to go back home to babysit.

* * *

**Thanks for reading the latest chapter! I am still having a few issues with the some of the wording in this one, so if you liked it, please review! It would make me extremely happy! See you again soon!**


	35. Chapter 35

The next day was Sunday and Manny had come over the night before to help babysit and she ended up spending the night. The girls stayed up until well after 3am talking and watching movies after Emma's parents came back home, officially relieving them of Jack duty. Luckily, they have Monday and Tuesday off from school for a Fall Break, so they do not have to worry about preparing for school the next day. At around 12:15 on this Sunday afternoon both girls were still in bed, when Emma's cell phone began to ring. Manny and Emma, both, groaned at the sheer loudness of it. It was playing 'More Than Anyone' by Gavin Degraw. That was Jay's ring.

"Make it stop!" Manny whined. "Don't answer it! Just turn it off!"

"I have to, it's Jay." Emma felt around the nightstand, clumsily, with her eyes closed, until she finally wrapped her hand around her phone and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, beautiful. Were you sleeping?"

"Yeah, Manny came over last night and we stayed up really late. It was like 3 before we fell asleep."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just missed you." Jay replied in a pathetic sort of 'forgive me' type of intonation.

"Ugh! How do you that?"

"Do what?"

"Make me feel bad for you, when I'm the one who should be getting the sympathy." Emma answered.

"I'm just that good, I guess." Jay boasted sarcastically. "But, I _am_ sorry that I woke you up."

"Whatever, it's fine. I forgive you. Let me take a shower and eat something and then I'll come over, okay?"

"Okay," Jay agreed, "love you."

"Love you, too. Bye."

"Bye, beautiful."

They hung up. Emma jumped out of bed and hopped in the shower. Manny fell back to sleep as Emma got ready.

"Man-ny, wake up pleeeeeease." Emma sang when she was finished.

"Do I have to?"

"Please, Manny? I want to have lunch and then I told Jay I would go see him."

"Geez, Em, every time I sleep over here, you always push me out the next day so you can go see your beloved Jay." Manny teased with a smile.

"Your point is?" Emma jokingly asked as she smiled back.

Manny just rolled her eyes and then laughed. She got ready quickly and went upstairs with Emma to make some lunch. They ate and talked and then ate some more. Then, Manny went home.

Emma took the shortcut through the woods to Jay's house. She hadn't gone that way since the accident, but decided that it was silly to be scared to go through there again. She paused, briefly, when she reached the spot where she had tripped. She flashed back to all the yelling and crying that went on there. She had always had trust issues when it came to Jay, but as she stood in this spot, now, she realized that they were lessening with each new day she spent with him. She put her hand on her side. Even though it was just a scar now, she still experienced phantom pain at times. The scar, now, reminded her of how brave and loving Jay had been that day. She smiled and continued her walk to Jay's. When she arrived at his house, she knocked on the door and he revealed himself to her.

"Hey, sexy." Emma greeted.

Jay smirked and raised an eyebrow at her. He moved to the side and gestured for Emma to come in. They walked to the couch and sat down.

"So, how's my girl feeling today?" Jay asked.

"I'm okay. My scar is doing that pins and needles thing today, but at least my emotions seem stable."

Jay nodded and then brushed his hand over Emma's side. Her spine tingled at his touch. Emma closed her eyes to better feel the intensity of the moment. Suddenly, she felt Jay's lips softly touch hers. They made out for a little while and then just sat there for awhile, enjoying each other's company, while remaining in each other's arms the whole time.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! More should be coming soon!**


	36. Chapter 36

Still tired from her late night with Manny, Emma soon fell asleep with her head on a pillow on Jay's lap. Jay was watching TV, quietly, as he looked down at her periodically. He smiled at how peaceful she looked and how comfortable the whole situation seemed.

Emma began to talk in her sleep. "…the window!"

Jay turned the TV on mute, momentarily, to listen to her.

Emma continued, "It's in the freezer!"

Amused, Jay asked the still sleeping Emma, "What's in the freezer, Em?"

Emma moaned in response and furrowed her brow, indicating that she might be in some sort of distress.

Jay stroked her hair, gently, as he tried to bring her out of it. "Hey, it's just a dream. Come back to me, Em."

Emma was awake now, but did not let Jay know just yet. "Bluish-green female sheep…" she mumbled.

Jay smiled. "Now you're messing with me." he accused.

"I am not." Emma replied back in a sing-song tone and then rolled on to her back to look up at Jay. She giggled and then sighed contentedly. "Sorry I fell asleep. Some company I am, eh?"

"It's okay." Jay answered. "It was actually kind of nice. You know…comfortable."

"Yeah…I know what you mean." Emma smiled.

"So, bad dream, eh?"

"I guess so. I don't remember it, though."

"Does your brain ever stop, Nelson?"

"Apparently not…But, there _is_ one thing that slows it down pretty well."

"Oh yeah?"

Emma sat up slowly and batted her eyes at Jay, playfully, as she leaned in toward him. "Yeah."

Jay met his lips with hers and gladly slowed down Emma's brain for a little while.

* * *

**Ok, I know, I know. Super short, right? Sorry about that. I basically rewrote this entire chapter because I did not like the one I originally wrote, years ago. I hope you liked this and the next chapter is already in progress, so I will try to get it up soon! I know it has been a while since I last updated, so thanks for sticking around and, as always, for reading and reviewing! See you again soon!**


	37. Chapter 37

After watching some TV together, Jay asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, a little." Emma answered.

As the sun was setting, they drove over to the Dot, for dinner.

"Wow, we've literally spent_ all_ day together." Emma observed.

"Yeah, well, you slept through most of it."

"A girl's gotta have her beauty rest."

"Is that so? Well, it's definitely working for you."

They pulled up to the Dot, walked in, and sat down at a table across from the door. Their waiter, Spinner, came over to take their order.

"Hey, Spin," the couple said in unison.

"What can I get you guys?"

Spinner took their order and then went off to start making it.

"You know," Jay said to Emma, "this is the exact spot where I talked you into giving me a real chance."

"What was I thinking?" Emma asked with a smirk.

"Aww, now how did I end up with someone so sweet?" Jay teased.

They both snickered and then Spinner returned to their table with their food.

"Thanks," they said in unison, again.

Spinner laughed, shook his head, and went back to work. Emma and Jay talked and enjoyed their meal. Jay paid the bill and left a sizable tip for his friend, on the table. They stood up, took each other's hand, and headed toward the door. Just as they were about to walk out, someone from Jay's partying past walked in. Some of Jay's friends had stopped hanging around him when he started dating Emma. They thought he had gone soft and were mad that he did not party much anymore. This…ex-friend…was no exception.

"Now isn't this sweet?" the guy asked, salivating with sarcasm.

Trying to avoid a nasty confrontation, Jay turned to Emma. "Let's just go, okay?"

Despite Emma's confusion with the sudden tension emanating from the two guys, she nodded in agreement with Jay. Their attempt to leave, however, was blocked.

"Don't be like that, man. I was hoping I could catch up with you and your girlfriend, here." The goon boldly grazed Emma's shoulder with his hand.

"Back off!" Jay barked.

"Aww, come on. I was just admiring how hot Greenpeace Nelson has gotten." He turned to Emma. "Give me a call when you get tired of this loser."

Jay felt Emma take a step back, no doubt on edge. "I mean it, man. Just back off!" Jay retorted.

"And, if I don't?"

Jay pulled Emma behind him and then released her hand.

"Jay." Emma preemptively cautioned.

"It's okay. I know what I'm doing." Jay whispered to Emma. Then he turned back to the sleaze ball. "If you don't, then I might just have to make you back off." Jay gave the guy a good, hard, shove.

He shoved Jay right back and then some of his buddies, who were sitting at a table nearby, stood up and walked over to lend a hand against Jay. Spinner saw the beginnings of a fight transpire and rushed over.

However, instead of trying to diffuse the situation, Spinner turned to Jay and yelled, "Not in here, man! I could get fired. Take it outside, okay?"

"Yeah, _man_," the punk taunted, "let's take it outside."

"Fine." Jay spat.

"Jay, no!" Emma pleaded.

"I'll be fine. Just stay here!"

Spinner yelled to Jay, "Dude, I'd help you, but I can't just leave. I need this job."

"It's cool. Just make sure _she_ stays inside, would ya?"

"Yeah, sure." Spinner loyally agreed.

Emma hated being told to 'stay' like a little kid, or a dog, but Jay's defenses had already kicked into overdrive and it seemed she did not have much of a choice at this point. When the door closed behind the guys, Emma rushed over to the window to try to see what was going on. The _boys_, though, had already rounded the corner into a dark alley, out of site.

*Outside*

"I don't see what the big deal is. I mean, obviously you're gettin' some, if you're still with her. Just share the wealth already."

"It's not even like that," Jay said through gritted teeth, "and I don't like what you're implying."

"What? We all know she's been to the ravine. You know how it works. Plenty to go around, right?"

Jay's fist connected with the jerk's jaw and he went down, but then his friends went after Jay…

*Back Inside*

"Spinner, come on, I have to do something!" Emma yelled frantically. "There were so many of them!"

"No!" Spinner reprimanded, from behind the counter. "Jay can handle himself. Just stay here!"

Emma huffed in a mix of feeling anger and helplessness, then, acted on impulse. "Spinner, give me your phone!"

"What?"

"You're cell phone! I need to borrow it!"

"Fine. Here, take it." Spinner dug his cell phone out of his back pocket and handed it to Emma.

*Outside*

Two guys had a hold of Jay and a third was mercilessly wailing on him, when Jay's friend, Towerz, showed up with a few others. Jay was able to free himself and went after the cretin who started the whole thing, while Towerz and his allies went after the other guys. The tables turned rather quickly, and Jay and his friends were able to run the other guys off pretty easily.

"Cowards!" Towerz taunted after them.

"Thanks for having my back." Jay commended with genuine relief and gratitude. "Where did you guys even come from?"

"Emma called me." Towerz explained. "I figured it must have been pretty bad, if she was asking for _my_help…and on Spin's phone. That's some girl you got there."

"Believe me, I know." Jay beamed.

...

Jay and his allies headed back to the Dot and as soon as they appeared in Emma's field of vision, she ran to the door.

"Emma, no!" Spinner commanded again. "Stay out of it!"

"Spin, look!" Emma pointed out the window, to their approaching friends.

"Oh, okay." Spinner replied. "Fine, go ahead."

Emma ran outside and threw her arms around Jay. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

Jay winced in pain and pulled Emma off of him, carefully. "Whoa, easy."

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry." Emma apologized. "Let's go back to your place, so I can fix you up." She gently put Jay's arm around her shoulders and allowed him to lean on her a little.

"Yeah, okay." Jay readily accepted of her idea.

"Alright now!" Towerz crooned sarcastically. "Is that what they're calling it these days?" He leaned toward Emma. "Just be gentle with him. He's a bit tender." he teased.

"Yeah, real funny, man." Jay sneered. "But, seriously, thanks again for helping me out, guys."

Jay's friends nodded in recognition of his sincerity and then went inside the Dot to chat with Spinner. Jay and Emma hopped into Jay's car and headed over to his place.

* * *

**I hope that was sufficiently longer for you all! Thanks for reading and reviewing! I will update again soon. Big things are a-coming!**


	38. Chapter 38

Jay and Emma made it back to Jay's house with only a small degree of difficulty. Jay was in a great deal of pain, but tried to play it off as if he was fine, with only the occasional lean on Emma's shoulders. Emma did her best to try to hold him up, but their body compositions were not exactly evenly matched, so they struggled through the door. Once inside, Jay flipped on the light switch and Emma was finally able to really take a look at him.

"Oh, wow, you are worse than I thought." Emma stated, with a hint of disapproval for him being in this mess in the first place. "Go sit down on the couch. I'm gonna go find some…You do have a first aid kit, right?"

"Yeah, it's in the bathroom, under the sink."

Jay, gingerly, sat down on the couch and Emma went in search of the first aid kit along with anything else she could find, around the house, to help. She came back into the living room a few minutes later with her arms full of random items. She laid them out on the coffee table in front of the couch and then sat down next to Jay.

"Here, put this on your eye." Emma commanded, as she handed him a bag of frozen peas. "It's all I could find."

"It's fine. Thanks." Jay replied as he lightly pressed the peas to his left eye.

"Let me see your hand," was Emma's next command.

"I'm fine, really. You don't need all of this stuff." Jay took the peas down from his eye.

But, Emma would not be dissuaded. "Just give me your hand. And, put that bag back on your eye for at least 20 minutes."

Jay did as he was told with the peas and then, reluctantly, showed Emma his right hand.

"Oh, yeah, you're fine alright." Emma said sarcastically. "Your knuckles are all cut up and bloody."

"You should see the other guy's face." Jay said, trying to lighten the mood.

Emma sort of half smiled and then looked up into Jay's one good eye. "I really wish you hadn't done this. Why do you always have to be the tough guy? Violence never solves anything."

"I know, I know. Lord knows I've heard that enough times, but he just got under my skin. He practically called you a…Well, I just couldn't let him talk about you like that. He's the one who didn't fight fair. I would have been fine if his buddies weren't there too. By the way, thanks for calling Towerz."

"Yeah, well, I couldn't let them kill you, just for defending my honor, now could I?" Emma sprayed Jay's hand with disinfectant.

The spray stung and Jay pulled his hand away quickly. "Whoa! Warn a guy, would ya?"

"Sorry. I just don't want you to get an infection. Let me see it one more time." Emma reached her hand out for Jay's.

"I don't think so."

"Please? I'm not finished."

Jay sighed. "Fine."

Emma sprayed Jay's hand one more time and although ready for it this time, he still winced. She, then, wrapped his knuckles with gauze and tape.

"Okay, I'm done. And, you can take those off of your eye now." Emma said, referring to the bag of frozen peas.

Jay lowered the bag from his eye, took his other, newly wrapped, hand, brushed it against Emma's cheek, and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. She smiled and put her hand on his. They both leaned in for a kiss, but then Jay pulled away and grabbed his ribs.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked, profoundly concerned.

"It's nothing. I'm fine." Jay tried again to kiss Emma, but she moved her head away.

"Show me," came another one of Nurse Emma's commands. "Take your shirt off."

"You wouldn't be trying to take advantage of me, would you?" Jay playfully asked while wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

Emma gave Jay an extremely un-amused look, so he quickly obeyed. Emma lightly touched his ribs and he winced again, cowering away from her touch. She apologized at the same time as the realization sank in that she had a shirtless guy-no, not just any guy-a shirtless Jay Hogart sitting next to her.

After a few seconds, Emma shook herself out of her daze. "Does it feel hot in here to you?" She began to fan herself with her hand.

"Not really…Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm totally fine." Emma answered a bit unconvincingly, but then changed the subject. "I should really head home, but I want to go with you to the doctor tomorrow, okay?"

"Hold up. Who said I was going to the doctor?"

"I just did, and don't fight me on this. You're going. Your ribs just look bruised right now, but they could be broken. Not to mention, you might need stitches on your hand."

Jay found her concern cute and conceded. "Okay, okay. I'll go."

Emma smiled victoriously. "Good. I'll see you tomorrow morning, Rocky."

"Bye, beautiful."

Emma stood up and leaned over the couch to give Jay a quick kiss, before walking home.

* * *

**More is coming soon. Thanks for reading!**


	39. Chapter 39

About ten minutes later, Emma walked into her house, smiling. Her mother was in the living room, putting some sort of family scrapbook together and Snake was in the kitchen grading papers. Spike, feeling sentimental after looking at old pictures of Emma and her, coaxed, or rather (as Emma saw it) guilted, her daughter into sitting down with her to talk like they used to. The conversation started with where Emma had been all day…and night, and then somehow, even to Emma's amazement, she was divulging every last detail of the night, including the 'altercation' Jay had been in, to her top-notch detective of a mother.

"As in a fight? With you there? Oh Emma, are you hurt?" Spike asked frantically.

"I'm fine, Mom." Emma rolled her eyes. "Jay made me stay inside while they took it into the alley."

"The alley?(!) Emma, whether Jason involved you or not, fighting is reckless and irresponsible."

"I told him the same thing, but, after all, no one's perfect. You should have heard that other guy coming-on to me. Jay was just trying to protect me. But, you can bet that I let him have it for fighting, afterward."

Spike was starting to calm down. "Is Jason alright at least?"

"I think so. I'm making him go to the doctor tomorrow, though, just to be sure."

"That's probably a good idea." Spike agreed.

Just then, Snake entered the room, from the kitchen. "Whew, I need a break from grading all those papers. What's going on out here?"

Mother and daughter exchanged a tense look and then Spike turned to Snake. "Why don't we just let Emma get some rest, and you and I can…talk."

Identifying the sensually suggestive meaning behind the word 'talk,' Snake raised an eyebrow. "Sounds good to me. Goodnight Emma."

"Goodnight." Emma shook her head, smiled, and went down to her room. She was glad to be escaping before her parents went all 'get-a-room' right in front of her, but mostly she was just relieved that the interrogation was over. As she laid down on her bed, she thought about her shirtless and protective boyfriend. How exactly it happened was still a mystery, but she truly did love Jay Hogart. One happy thought lingered as she drifted off into dreamland: He was hers and she was his. Nothing could come between them…for now, at least.

* * *

**Yet another really short chapter. Sorry! And, sorry if these parent scenes are becoming annoying or boring. They are even starting to annoy me, and that is why I have begun to cut them short. However, I assure you that all of this parental disapproval is leading to something HUGE, coming soon. I will try to post again, asap. Thanks for reading!**


	40. Chapter 40

The next morning, Monday, of their two days off from school Fall Break, Emma woke up around 9am and called Jay.

Sleepily, Jay answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, Sexy! Are you ready?"

Jay thought Emma sounded way too energized for that early in the morning and on their break, no less. "Uh, still sleeping here!"

"Well get up! I'll be over in 20!"

"But, I-," Jay began to protest, but it was too late. Emma had already hung up the phone, on her end.

Exactly 20 minutes later, Emma knocked on Jay's front door. Jay came running while still pulling on his shirt. He opened the door and played it cool, like he had been ready and waiting for her, for a long time.

"Hey, beautiful." He casually leaned on the door frame. "What took you so long?"

"Smooth." Emma walked in, past him, and then turned around to face him. "Oh, by the way, your shirt's inside out." She covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

"Wha-?" He looked down at his shirt after he closed the door. "I guess all my calm, cool, and collected points fly out the window when I'm around you."

Jay took his shirt off and reversed it, as they both walked farther into his house. Emma noticed that the bruises on his eye and ribs looked worse than they did the night before. Clearly in more pain than the night before as well, Jay struggled a little to tug his shirt back on.

"Here, let me help you with that." Emma slowly and gently pulled his shirt down, trying not to touch his ribs.

"Thanks, beautiful." He leaned his head down to give Emma a peck on the lips.

Emma ran her fingers through Jay's hair, straightening it a little. "So, are you ready to go to the doctor now?"

"Yeah," Jay threw on his backwards cap and covered his eyes with a pair of sun glasses, "I guess so."

"Good. Hand me the keys." Emma put out her hand for the keys to Jay's car as if it was the most natural request she had ever made.

Jay pulled his sunglasses down to the end of his nose, momentarily revealing his eyes to Emma. "There is no way I'm letting you drive my car."

"Oh, come on. Don't be such a guy!"

In his best caveman impression, Jay retorted, "Me guy, you girl."

"Yeah, okay smartass, but you are not driving in your condition. What is it with men and their cars? I can get us there just as well as you can."

"What do you mean, 'in my condition?' I drove us home last night, didn't I?"

Trying a different tactic, Emma stepped closer to Jay and lowered her voice to make it sound more seductive. "I didn't know how hurt you were at that point." She raised Jay's sunglasses up to rest on the part of his cap that covered his forehead. "And, you could barely dress yourself before I got over here." She took another step closer and stared deeply into Jay's eyes. "Not that I minded seeing my boyfriend, shirtless, first thing in the morning." She put her palm on the back of Jay's neck and pulled his lips to hers. In hopes that a passionate kiss would create a substantial distraction, Emma then, snaked her other hand into the front pocket of Jay's jeans, to fish for his keys. Her hand, however, was met with almost immediate resistance as Jay quickly immobilized it with his own hand.

Jay stole his lips from Emma's. "You'd make a lousy pick-pocket, you know that?" He let go of Emma's hand and she drew it back, aborting her mission in a huff.

"Well, if you would just quit being stubborn and let me drive, then I wouldn't have to try."

Jay would do just about anything to make Emma happy, but this was his car they were talking about. What did she expect? But, as Emma continued to pout, Jay felt his resolve melt away and he sighed heavily. "Fine, but just this once." He pulled the keys out of his pocket and finally relinquished them over to the beaming blonde in front of him.

"You made the right choice." Emma said, taking the keys from Jay.

"How do you figure that?"

"Well, you need to take it easy and besides, I could practically get to the hospital with my eyes closed, by now."

They headed outside as panic struck Jay. "But, you're not really gonna try that…are you?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Of course not, I just meant that I've been there so much lately, so I know the route really well."

"Right…I knew that." Jay hid a sigh of relief as they both climbed into the car in their nontraditional positions.

* * *

**I had fun with this chapter, so I hope you liked it too! As always, thanks for reading, and I shall return with a new chapter shortly!**


	41. Chapter 41

While driving to the hospital, Emma glanced over at Jay. "Would you stop?(!) You're making me nervous!"

Jay had a death grip on his seat and was making weird faces and grimacing every time Emma made a turn or stopped at a red light or stop sign and then started again. "What?"

Emma, not amused, rolled her eyes. "You know what you're doing."

"Oh come on, I'm just having a little fun with you."

"Well, quit! You're making me second guess myself."

Jay put his hands in his lap and gave her a cheesy smile. "Better?"

"Infinitely."

Moments later, they arrived at the hospital.

…

A male doctor walked into Jay's exam room. "Okay, so, who wants to tell me how this happened?"

Jay opened his mouth to speak, but Emma jumped in before he had the chance. "Oh, you know how boys are, they think they're invincible. I keep telling him to wear pads when he goes out to play tackle football with his buddies, but he never listens. Maybe next time, though, he finally will." She turned to Jay. "Eh, babe?"

Jay was rendered speechless by the ease at which the lie floated off Emma's tongue. Had he accidentally sucked her back into bad-Emma-land without even meaning to? The last thing he wanted was to, again, be the bad influence her parents thought he was. Was she lying to them again, too? Emma was supposed to be changing him, not the other way around. They would have to talk about this, later.

Emma continued to spin her tale. "I think he suffered the brunt of the six-guy-pile-up on his ribs and his hand. We just want to make sure nothing's broken."

The doctor nodded. "Alright, well, I'll take a look, but I need you to step out of the room."

"It's okay. I'll be fine." Jay reassured Emma.

Emma gave him a faint smile and a quick kiss, then, left the room.

The doctor carefully unwrapped Jay's hand to take a better look. "So, did you at least win your football game?"

Jay was thrown by the question, for a split second, but recovered quickly, drawing a speck of honesty from how the events actually transpired the night before. "Yeah, it seemed a little hopeless, at one point, but we clobbered them in the end."

"Sounds like you were lucky, but your girlfriend's right, you know? All of you who play should really wear pads and a helmet. Even a friendly little game in the park can do serious damage."

Jay felt a searing pain as the doctor examined his ribs. "I'll remember that for next time."

"Good deal. Now, let's take you to get some x-rays, just to be safe."

…

After the x-rays were taken, Jay was lead back to the exam room by a nurse and Emma was invited back into the room to wait for the results of the doctor's tests, with Jay.

About fifteen to twenty minutes later, the doctor reentered the room. "Okay, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is there does not appear to be any internal bleeding or broken bones. The bad news is that because of the location of the bruising on your ribs, you will be in quite a bit of pain for a few weeks. I'm going to prescribe a mild painkiller and wrap your ribs up to try to restrict some of the movement in that area. Also, it appears that the gash on your knuckles does need stitches, but I can use the dissolvable kind, so that you will not have to come see us again. The stitches will just disappear in about a week or two." The doctor turned to Emma. "He's going to need some help with rewrapping his ribs and hand everyday for the next couple of weeks. Do you think you can handle being his 'nurse' for a little while?"

Emma and Jay exchanged smirks and then she nodded to the doctor. "Whatever it takes."

The doctor looked satisfied with that answer. "Okay, good. Let me show you how to wrap him up." The doctor proceeded to show Emma how to wrap Jay's ribs and then his hand… "And that should do it."

"Thanks, Doc." Jay stood up and put his arm around Emma's shoulders.

Emma and Jay picked up his prescription and then headed out to his car.

"I'm all patched up now, so I can drive us home."

"I don't think so." Emma shrugged Jay's arm off of her shoulders and backed away from him. "I still have your keys and I say when you get them back."

"Oh, come on, you heard the doctor. I'm fine."

"What he said was that you are supposed to take it easy, unless you want to be in major pain," Emma corrected. "So, I'm driving."

Jay smirked. "You know, you're really hot when you're aggressive."

"Yeah, yeah. Just get in the car!"

"Oh, yeah, baby! You're driving me wild!"

Emma could not help but smile at his unrelenting charm but then rolled her eyes as she started the engine and took off toward Jay's house.

…

As Emma pulled up to Jay's house and they both stepped out of the car, Jay pretended to be afraid to open his eyes. He had them both tightly squeezed shut and slowly peeked out of one. "Did we make it?"

Emma glared at him. "Cute. You should take that act on the road, far, far, away from here."

"What if I did? Would you miss me?"

Emma wrapped her arms around Jay's neck. "I would say that's extremely possible."

"Just, possible?" Jay leaned his head down and gave Emma a kiss that made every cell in her body tingle.

"Okay, correction: All signs point to yes."

Jay smirked, proudly. "That's what I thought."

They walked inside with arms around each other and sat down on the couch.

Jay sat down slowly, while still in a bit of pain. "Thanks for taking care of me, beautiful."

"You've taken care of me enough times. It's about time you let me take care of you for a change."

Jay put his arm around Emma's shoulders and she gently kissed the wrapped hand that now dangled by her ear. "I would do anything for you, Nelson."

Emma snuggled closer to Jay and rested her head on his shoulder. "I like the sound of that, Mr. Bad Boy."

Jay shifted his position on the couch to sit up a little straighter. "Yeah, about that…Listen, uh," Emma felt his body tense in her arms, "I think we need to talk."

Emma sat up and they mutually let go of each other. "Well, that's just what every girl wants to hear." She tried to read the expression in his eyes for any kind of sign as to what might be coming. No luck. His face remained stoic.

Jay tried hard to find the right words to sensitively begin the necessary conversation. "It's just…Why did you lie to the doctor today?" So much for sensitive.

Emma suddenly felt the need to be defensive and her own body automatically tensed. "What do mean?"

"A football game in the park?" Jay clarified. "Why didn't you just let me tell him that I got into a fight?"

"I don't know. I guess it just seemed easier not to get into it with him. What's the big deal?"

"I guess I just don't get where this is all coming from? The Emma Nelson that I fell in love with never thought lying was easier than telling the truth."

Emma jerked backward in shock. "Ok, are you _trying_ to make me feel like dirt?"

"No. Of course not. I'm just worried that I'm somehow changing you."

Emma put a hand on Jay's knee. "Would that be such a bad thing? The old Emma was pretty boring, if you ask me."

"Well, what if I want to change too?" Jay removed Emma's hand from his knee and took it into both of his hands. "Ok, granted, fighting didn't do much for my attempt at reform, but still, I'm trying. I mean, everyone knows me as the bad guy, but you make me want to be better. I don't want to drag you down to my level; I want to come up to yours."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "What if we just meet in the middle?"

"I think I could live with that." Jay smiled for a second, but then his face quickly reverted back to seriousness. "But, I don't want you to feel like you need to lie for me anymore. Good, bad, or in between, I want us to at least be real with everyone else around us."

Emma smirked. "I think I could live with that," she imitated.

"Oh, could you, now?" Jay teased as he pulled Emma's upper body closer to his.

Emma giggled as their lips came closer together. She was the first to deepen the kiss, but then pulled back abruptly. "Is this ok? I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"I'm fine. Now, come back here." Jay resumed the kissing as he guided Emma to lay down on the couch with him.

Emma pulled away one more time. "Are you sure, you're ok?"

"Yes!" Jay pulled her back down and the thought never crossed her mind again to protest.

They enjoyed a little more intimate kissing, then turned on the TV and just laid there, on the couch, together.

* * *

**A little belated Valentines Day gift to show my readers that I love you! I hope the length and content of this chapter makes up for my lack of updates lately. Thanks for reading! I will try to update again soon!**


	42. Chapter 42

After a few more hours of watching TV, Emma casually asked Jay, "What time is it?"

Jay checked the clock on his cell phone. "6:30."

Emma sat up quickly. "Oh no! My mom's gonna kill me!"

"Why? What's wrong?"

Emma was already pulling on her sweater and heading toward the front door. "I told her I would be home by 5:30 for dinner."

Jay sat up. "Well, let me take you over there. I can help you explain that we just lost track of time."

With her hand on the doorknob, "No, it'll be fine. I just need to go!"

"Okay, see you later then, beautiful. I love you."

"Love you, too, sexy! Promise me you'll take it easy tonight."

Jay walked over to Emma and gave her a peck on the lips. "Yeah, I promise."

Emma opened the door. "Good. Bye, babe!" She ran out through the doorway and all the way home.

…

Emma opened the front door to her house and walked in quietly.

"Emma? Is that you?" Spike yelled from the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's me." Emma experienced that heart-racing, 'I'm caught,' feeling. "Sorry I'm late."

Spike came out of the kitchen and met Emma in the living room. "You were supposed to be here over an hour ago!"

"I know." Emma's panic suddenly changed to borderline defiance. "I said I was sorry, gosh!" She shrugged off her sweater and laid it down on the chair in front of her. "Jay and I were watching TV and we just lost track of time."

Spike put her hands on her hips. "I just wish you wouldn't say you're going to be home at a certain time, unless you mean it."

"It was an accident. I really was planning on being here."

Spike's anger went up another level. "But you weren't! We waited as long as we could, but then the food started to get cold and Jack was hungry, so we ate without you."

"Okay, so I'll just heat up the leftovers. It's not that big of a deal."

"Yes, it is, Emma! Lately, you've been so irresponsible when it comes to the family."

"I don't know what else to say. I'm sorry, okay?"

"No, it's not okay! You need to take a break from Jason." Emma could have sworn her mother had just given her whiplash from a simple sentence. "Snake and I are going out tomorrow and we need you to babysit Jack, all day."

"But, tomorrow's my last day of fall break and Jay needs me right now!" Emma whined.

"Jay's almost an adult. I'm sure he can take care of himself for one day."

"But, Mom!"

"This is not up for discussion, young lady! You are going to stay home and watch your brother tomorrow, without Jason!"

"Fine! Whatever!" Emma snatched up her sweater and stormed down to her room. Once in the seclusion of her own room, she called Jay.

"Hey, beautiful. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I was just calling to tell you that I'm not allowed to see you tomorrow. I have to babysit my brother all day."

"You're not _allowed_? So, they were mad."

"They were mad." Emma confirmed. "But, mostly at me. It's not _your_ fault that I didn't keep my eye on the time."

"Bummer times."

"Yeah, no kidding." Emma fumed.

"But, it's just one day, right?" Jay offered soothingly.

"I guess, but I wish they would stop trying to keep us apart."

"We can make it through one day. We'll be okay."

Emma sighed. "I'm trying to be mad at them, but you're not making it very easy."

"That's because I don't want you to be mad at them. The last thing I want is to get in between you and your parents. Just do what they want and we'll see each other at school, on Wednesday, after the break."

"Listen to you, being all voice-of-reason. I don't know what to think about all of this role reversing we've been doing lately."

"Think of it as meeting in the middle, like you said."

"Well, whatever it is that we're doing, I like that you care about my relationship with my parents."

"If it means something to you, then it means something to me too."

"I always knew you were a softie at heart. So, I guess I'll see you Wednesday."

"You bet, beautiful!"

* * *

**Thanks for reading! More is coming soon! Preview: Emma puts Jack to bed on Tuesday night and then has an unexpected visitor with troubling news. **


	43. Chapter 43

Tuesday evening, Emma's parents were still out and she had just put her brother to bed for the night. She was determined to enjoy the last few hours of her break from school and went down to her room to grab a book to read for pleasure. Just as she was heading back upstairs to sprawl out on the couch while she read, she heard a knock on her bedroom window and her heart started to race with fear.

The voice from outside came through muffled. "Emma?(!)"

"Who's there? What do you want from me?"

The visitor mumbled something that Emma could not quite understand.

Emma's heart continued to race. "I should warn you that my body-building boyfriend with anger management issues is right upstairs!"

Louder and clearer now, the voice came through once more. "Em, it's me!"

"Jay?"

"Yeah."

Emma immediately unlocked her window and opened it to indeed see Jay there.

"You seeing someone else? A body-builder?" Jay teased.

Emma rolled her eyes. "What are you doing here? I told you I couldn't see you today."

"I know, but something happened."

"What is it?" Emma helped Jay into her room. "Are you hurt?"

"No," Jay said as he dusted himself off, "I'm alright."

"Then what happened?"

Jay looked straight into Emma's eyes. "I…" His eyes fell from Emma's as he suddenly could not bring himself to tell the truth. "I just missed you, beautiful."

Emma saw right through him. "Cut the crap, Jay. I know you didn't come all the way over here just to tell me that you missed me."

For a split-second, Jay considered denying Emma's accusation, but he knew better than to try to evade his beautifully intelligent girlfriend. "Okay, you're right. I'm in deep trouble, Em."

"What? Why?" Emma took Jay's hands into hers but then heard Jack yelling for her. "Oh, I have to go check on my brother. Stay here. I'll be right back."

Jack wanted some water, so Emma took him a cup and then put him back to bed. She was just about to head back down to her room when her parents walked in the front door.

"Hi, honey!" Spike greeted, happily. "Any problems with Jack today?"

Emma's blood pressure rose as she thought about Jay being in her room when she was not even supposed to see him today. "Nope. Everything was fine."

"That's good." Spike was oblivious to her daughter's on edge feelings. "We're just going to go up to bed now. It's been a long day. Goodnight sweetie and thank you for watching your brother for us today."

"Yeah, no problem. Goodnight." Emma breathed a sigh of relief and then quickly traveled backed down to her room.

Jay was sitting on the end of Emma's bed with his head in his hands.

Emma walked over and sat down next to him. "What's going on?"

Clearly distraught, Jay looked up at Emma. "Towerz called me today…He heard some guys talking…Emma, that guy that I got in the fight with is pressing assault charges."

"Can he do that?"

"Apparently. The cops are gonna come after me. I don't have a prayer."

"There's got to be something we can do. They can't put you in jail."

"They can and they will. I started the fight."

"You were provoked."

"Somehow, I don't think that's going to matter." Jay gestured to his injuries. "This is nothing compared to what those guys looked like when we got done with them."

A revelation suddenly struck Emma. "_We_! What about Towerz and the others? Are they in trouble too?"

Jay shook his head. "As far as I know, I'm the only one who got turned in…" He looked down again. "With my record, this could be really bad, Em."

"That slimeball! So, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I just need some time…you know, to get my thoughts straight."

"You can hide out here for a while."

"No." Jay stood up as if to leave. "I just had to tell you what was going on, but I don't want you involved in this."

"It's a little late for that. I am the one who called in your backup that night." Emma stood up and, again, took Jay's hands into hers. "We're in this together."

"But, they only want me."

"Well, they can't have you and I'll do everything I can to make sure they know that."

"Have I told you lately that I love you." Jay gave Emma the best smile he could manage under the circumstances.

"Yes, actually, but I never get tired of hearing it." Emma pulled Jay into a hug. "It's going to be okay," she whispered into his ear. She hoped it sounded convincing to Jay, even if she was not sure that she believed it herself.

* * *

**As always, thanks for reading! I will try to update again soon! Preview: Emma goes to school on Wednesday while Jay continues to hide out in her room, but when Emma returns home that afternoon, Jay is not there...**


	44. Chapter 44

Jay spent that night, on the floor, next to Emma's bed. The next morning (Wednesday), Emma woke up to the sound of her alarm signaling the end of fall break and the beginning of a new school day. She rolled over to look down at Jay. He was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

Emma smiled down at him. "Hi."

Jay turned his head to look at her. His eyes were not their usual warm, loving, and radiating with confidence selves. "Hey." He gave her a weak attempt at a smile.

Emma stopped smiling and gave him a concerned look. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"I think, a little." Jay sat up.

Emma sat up too and let her legs dangle over the side of her bed, next to Jay. "Hey…." She searched for Jay's eyes with hers. "I'm gonna help you find a way out of this."

Jay finally looked Emma straight in the eyes. "But, what if you can't?"

Emma hopped off of her bed, took Jay's hands, and pulled him to his feet. "That's just not an option. You didn't do anything he wasn't asking for. You can't let him get away with this before we've tried every last angle to get out of it."

Jay pulled Emma closer, hugging her to him. He, then, kissed her gently.

Suddenly, Emma leaned back, away from Jay's lips. "Oh! I have to get ready for school!"

Jay tightened his grip around Emma's waist. "Can't we skip it today? Together?"

Emma ran a hand through Jay's hair. "Mmmm, as good as that sounds, unfortunately, I think I have to go or my mom will get suspicious. You should stay here, though."

Jay sighed but agreed to the plan and Emma went to ready herself for school…

"Okay, I'm leaving now. Are you going to be okay, here, by yourself?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks…for everything, beautiful. I love you."

"I love you too." Emma gave him a quick kiss. "I'll see you after school!"

Just as Emma was about to run up the stairs, Jay grabbed one of her arms to stop her and turn her back around toward him. "Hey, try not to worry about me while you're at school. I'll be okay."

Emma smiled. "You know me too well, Jay Hogart."

"Seriously, there's no point in going if you leave your mind here."

"Okay! I'll try to pay attention."

"Good. Now, get out of here before you're late!" Jay teased.

Emma sarcastically saluted him. "Yes sir!" She giggled as she ran up the stairs. "Bye, sexy!" she whispered just before she opened the door to leave her room, and Jay, behind for the day.

At school, Emma tried to concentrate in her classes, but she was pretty unsuccessful. She just kept thinking about Jay and how she could possibly keep him from going to jail. A few hazy hours went by and then the final bell rang. Emma rushed straight home and down to her room. However, she was surprised to find that Jay was not there and that he had left a note on Emma's bed.

_Hey Beautiful,_

_I hope you had a good day at school. I went over to my place to get a few things. I'll be back soon._

_Love, Jay_

Emma decided to go over to Jay's to see if he needed any help. She was almost to his house when she spotted a police car in his drive way, and instantly panicked.

Jay's front door opened and she saw him step out with his hands in cuffs, behind his back, and a female officer guiding him to her car.

When Emma finally made it to the drive way she shouted, "Jay!"

Jay's head was down, but popped up when he heard Emma's voice. "Emma…I'm so sorry."

Emma turned to the officer. "No! You can't do this! He didn't do anything wrong!"

Coldly, the officer addressed Emma. "We have witnesses." She guided Jay into the backseat of her car as she put a hand on his head so that he would not bump it on the roof. "Now, please, step aside, ma'am. I have a warrant to take him into custody."

Emma looked at Jay as her eyes started to well-up. "I'll find a way to get you out! I promise!"

The hardest thing Jay had ever had to do was to look into Emma's eyes in that moment. He wanted so badly to be able to wipe away the tears that he could see her about to shed. "I'll be okay. Just take care of yourself. Will you promise me that?" Emma nodded and Jay gave her one last look with his part-wounded part-ashamed, puppy dog, eyes. "I love you, Nelson."

The officer shut the car door, climbed into the driver's seat, and sped off.

As Emma watched the police car disappear out of view, the tears finally fell. "I love you, too…"

* * *

**Thanks for reading! And, a special shout out to my newest reviewer, sw33tp3a91, for renewing my faith that people are actually reading this and liking it. Thanks, and to answer your question, yes, there is more, much more! I will try to update again soon! Preview: Emma hopes to find help in one of the most unlikely of places.**


	45. Chapter 45

By the next day at school, it seemed as if everyone knew that Jay had been arrested. Manny walked up to Emma in the hall.

"How are you doing, Em?" Manny asked in an almost annoyingly sympathetic tone.

Depression was radiating off of Emma. "Bad news travels fast around here."

Manny put her arm around Emma. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I haven't figured out a plan yet." Emma locked her eyes on the floor, feeling like an utter failure.

"I can't believe the guy actually pressed charges! What a jerk!"

"No argument here."

"I mean, he's nothing like his sister. She is such a sweetheart."

Emma's mind was on auto pilot and she answered before Manny's words really sank in. "Yeah…" Then, when she actually put everything she heard together, she asked, "Wait, what? What do you know about his sister?"

"She's on the Spirit Squad. It is so hard to believe that they share the same genes. They are like total opposites."

"Manny! This is perfect! You have to introduce me to her!"

"Okay, but I don't see how-."

"Manny, please! Just have her meet you after school and leave the rest to me. Oh, and don't mention me, when you talk to her. I don't want her to reject the idea of talking to me before she's even met me."

"Okay, we'll meet you at your locker after school."

"Thanks, Manny!"

"Sure thing, but I still don't get it."

"You will. See you after school!"

They went off in opposite directions to their next classes. Emma's just happened to be Media Immersion with, yes, Mr. Simpson.

"How are you holding up?" Mr. Simpson asked Emma.

"Oh, not you too." Emma never did take well to sympathy from others, but what she hated more were fake sympathizers. She knew all too well that Mr. Simpson was not a fan of Jay's. He did care about Emma, though, and she knew he was asking for her sake, not because he cared about what happened to Jay. "I wish people would just stop asking how_ I_ am. I'm not the one who's in jail."

"No, you're not, but I can see that it is affecting you. Your mother and I are just concerned."

Emma sighed. "Well, I'm doing as well as can be expected, I guess, but I'll be even better once I figure out how to bring my boyfriend home."

"Let us know if you need anything."

"Thanks, but I actually have something in the works already. I'll keep you posted, though."

Class started and then ended surprisingly quickly. Emma went through the rest of the day just trying to perfect her plan. Then, school ended and Emma hurried to her locker.

As Manny came closer, she pretended that she just randomly saw Emma there. "Oh, hey, Emma!" She turned to the girl beside her. "Jestine, this is my very best friend, Emma. Emma, this is Jestine. She's on the Spirit Squad with me." Manny said, as though she had not told Emma the exact same thing just a few hours ago.

Emma stuck her hand out to shake Jestine's. "Hi, Jestine, it's nice to meet you."

Jestine politely shook Emma's hand. "Yeah, you too…Wait, did you say, Emma? As in Emma Nelson?"

"Yes, that would be me." Emma timidly admitted as she took her own hand back. '_Crap, has my plan been foiled already?_' Emma thought to herself as she smiled, trying to look innocent.

"You're Jay Hogart's girlfriend, right?"

Emma affirmatively shook her head. "Right again."

"He was just arrested for assaulting my brother."

Emma acted surprised. "Your brother?"

"Yeah, and he's in pretty bad shape, thanks to your boyfriend."

Emma felt Jestine's anger escalating and her hopes of freeing Jay were quickly slipping away. This was her one chance. She had to lay it all out there. Her plan to ease into asking Jestine for a favor went out the window and she bluntly spilled everything at once. "Jay was just defending me. Your brother said some pretty crude things about wanting to get with me. And, did you know that the only reason that they are not still friends is because your brother thought that I made Jay go soft? He may not have thrown the first punch, but he tried every trick in the book to get Jay to start that fight. It was almost like he wanted to be able to turn him in." Emma was sure that she had just offended Jestine by blurting all of that out. The last thing she wanted to do was lead with an attack on her brother's character. That, she thought, was sure to get her nowhere. But, Jestine surprised her.

Jestine was shocked. She knew her brother was prone to starting trouble, but she never thought he could go that far. "Wow, I'm sorry, Emma. I had no idea that my brother could be that manipulative. I just wish there was something I could do to help Jay."

"Maybe there is something you could do…" Emma slyly interjected with a renewed hope.

"What do mean?"

"Well, I was hoping you might do us a favor and talk to your brother. Maybe try to get him to drop the charges?" Emma decided to throw in a little reverse psychology to lock in her target. "I understand if you don't want to, though. Jay did start the fight. I just feel bad, because he was just reacting to how I was being treated. I feel like this is my fault, not Jay's."

"Believe me, I understand how my brother can be. I'm just sorry, you and Jay had to be on the receiving end of it this time. I can definitely talk to him for you and maybe even throw in the threat of involving our parents. He's such a baby when it comes to them."

Emma and Manny snickered.

"I can't thank you enough, Jestine, for even being willing to try." Emma threw her arms around Jestine and squeezed her tightly into a genuinely grateful hug.

Jestine nodded. "It's the least I can do. While I do not support the fact that Jay hurt my brother, from what you have told me, he was begging for it. I love him, but he can be a real jerk sometimes. I'm gonna go home right now and work this out for you. Give me your number and I'll call you when it's done, so you can go get Jay out of there."

Emma gave Jestine her cell phone number and thanked her again.

Jestine placed her cell phone back into her bag and then looked up at Emma one more time. "And, believe it or not it really was nice to meet you, Emma."

"Yeah, you too." Emma returned with another genuine smile.

"I'll talk to you soon." Jestine promised as she started to walk away. "Bye, Manny!"

As Jestine headed home, Emma turned to Manny. "It worked! I only hoped that the truth would get her on our side, but it really did. And, you were right, Manny. She is really sweet. We should hang out with her after all of this is over."

Emma and her best friend went to her house to wait for Jestine's call.

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**I am back! Finally! Thanks to everyone who waited around during my several month long hiatus and is still reading! I assure you that I am back now and will be updating regularly again. This fanfic is nowhere near over and I promise to see it through to the end. More is coming soon! Preview: Jestine calls. But, does she have good news?**


	46. Chapter 46

As Emma and Manny waited for Jestine to call, Emma could hardly stand the suspense any longer. "Manny, what if she can't get him to drop the charges?"

"I'm sure you don't need to worry." Manny tried to soothe her friend. "I've seen them together. She has him wrapped around her finger."

Emma had started to pace back and forth at the edge of her bed. "But, what if he tries to get her to believe that I was lying?(!)"

"Emma, stop worrying! If this doesn't work, you'll just figure something else out. You always do."

Just then, Emma's phone rang and they both jumped.

Emma answered it nervously. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Jestine!"

"Hey, Jestine…" Emma tried her best to remain hopeful as she silently pleaded for good news.

"I talked to my brother and he is down at the police station, right now, dropping the charges against Jay."

"Jestine! That's amazing! I don't even know how to begin to thank you!"

"No big deal. As soon as he knew I was on to him, he totally caved. He can't stand it when I'm upset with him. I didn't even have to involve our parents, but I'm going to pressure him to tell them the truth anyway. He is going down a terrible path and they can help him get back on track…Oh, hold on, I'm getting another call."

Emma waited on hold for a few minutes and filled Manny in on what Jestine had told her so far.

Then, Jestine came back on the line. "Emma?"

"Yeah, I'm still here."

"That was my brother. He said that they're letting Jay go in about an hour, so you should go down there, if you want to see them release him."

"Okay, thanks so much!" Emma smiled from ear to ear. "We should hang out, sometime soon, you, me, and Manny! Okay?"

"Yeah, that would be fun!" Jestine agreed.

They hung up, Emma told Manny everything, and then she rushed down to the police station.

…

Emma waited for a long time, but then, one of the officers finally brought Jay out to the front of the station. No one had told Jay that he was being released yet. They had simply, taken him out of his cell, hand-cuffed him, and brought him out to the front of the station. Jay looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. As his eyes scanned the room, he passed right over Emma, then did a double take, and raised an eyebrow at her. One of the officers behind the desk nodded to the officer holding Jay's arm and signaled him to release Jay from the cuffs.

Jay was still highly confused as Emma walked up to him, smiling. "Emma, what's going on? What are you doing here?"

"The charges were dropped!" Emma beamed.

"What? How?"

"I-."

Jay cut her off and whispered… "You didn't let him 'take you to the ravine,' did you?"

Emma rolled her eyes. She would have done almost anything to free Jay, but she still had her standards. "No. I didn't _do_ anything. Manny knows his sister. I talked to her, told her how her brother manipulated you, and she took our side. _She_'s the one who got him to drop the charges."

"Ah! You are amazing!" Jay hugged Emma, lifted her off the ground, and spun her around.

Emma giggled. "I know." She kissed Jay. "Now, let's get you home."

"Yes, please."

They walked over to the front desk.

One of the officers put some paperwork in front of Jay. "Just sign here and you're free to go."

"Gladly." Jay signed the papers and then put his arm around Emma's shoulders as they turned and walked outside.

Emma and Jay walked back to his house with their arms around each other. Jay kissed the side of Emma's head. "Have I told you lately that you're amazing?"

"Only about five minutes ago," Emma reminded him, "but it certainly never gets old."

They both smiled and continued their walk.

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**Thanks for reading! More is coming soon! Preview: Someone says, "Take your shirt off." :)**


	47. Chapter 47

They finally reached Jay's house and paused outside.

"This feels weird." Jay stated, somberly. Emma felt Jay's body stiffen and then he removed his arm from around her. "The last time I was in there, I was dragged out by the cops."

"Let's go in together." Emma offered as she took Jay's hand into hers.

"Yeah, okay." Jay allowed Emma to guide him closer to his front door and they walked in together.

Jay barely had time to shut the door behind them before Emma demanded, "Take your shirt off."

"Whoa, Em, I know you want me bad, but we just got in the door. Give a guy a moment to breathe, would ya?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "So I can check out your bruises!"

"Right, I knew that," Jay covered weakly. He slipped his shirt off, obeying orders.

Emma gently touched him around his bruised ribs. "They look a little better. Does it still hurt?"

"A little. But, it's not so bad."

They went over and sat down on the couch as Jay pulled his shirt back on.

"How's your hand?"

Jay hid his hand behind his back. "It's fine."

Emma gave him a look of disbelief. "Humor me."

Jay sighed and put his hand in Emma's. She looked at it with a serious face.

"What?" Jay asked, unnerved.

"This looks bad. It could be infected."

"It's fine." Jay repeated, taking his hand back.

"No, wait! Let me see it again." Emma gently grabbed his hand back. "Will you at least let me clean it and wrap it back up for you?"

"I don't need it."

"You are so stubborn, you know that?"

"Yeah, I do…" Jay could see that Emma was not amused and sighed again. "Okay, fine. Just be gentle."

Jay smirked and Emma could not resist returning a smile.

"I'll go get the stuff!" Emma announced victoriously.

She jumped up to go gather the first aid supplies. When she came back to the couch, Jay was sitting there with his head back and his thumb and middle finger of one hand massaging the temples in his forehead.

"Okay, I got…Hey, are you okay?"

Jay brought his head down to meet Emma's eyes. "What? Oh, yeah, I'm just tired."

Emma sat down on the couch next to him. "Yeah, I guess you would be. It can't be easy sleeping in a jail cell."

"It definitely wasn't…But, now that I'm out, I just want to enjoy this moment with you."

Emma smiled. "I'm totally okay with that. Now, let me see that hand."

Jay hesitated and Emma reassured him. "Don't worry. I promise I'll be gentle." She kissed his forehead to further soothe him. "Okay, this is probably gonna sting."

Jay scrunched up his face in anticipation. "Okay, go ahead."

Emma tried to stifle a laugh at the sight of his face and then sprayed his hand with the disinfectant. Jay tried to hide it but ended up still wincing at the pain.

"Oooo, sorry!" Emma blew on Jay's knuckles. "Better?"

Jay looked into Emma's eyes and smiled. "Much."

Emma wrapped Jay's hand and then started to pick up the scraps of tape and gauze. Jay took the things from Emma's hands and set them back down on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked.

"This." Jay kissed her and pulled her down on top of him as he laid down on the couch.

Emma giggled and ran her fingers through Jay's hair. Every touch, every kiss, suddenly intensified, and Jay began to push up Emma's shirt.

Then, all at once, things came to a screeching halt. Emma stopped kissing Jay and pulled her shirt back down. "Jay, wait. I love you and all, but I'm not ready for that. Not like this. The moment just doesn't feel right."

"No problem. Sorry, I didn't mean to push. I just got a little caught up."

"We'll get there, just not yet." Emma was still lying on top of Jay and in that moment she gently rolled over to lie beside him. "How about we just watch some TV instead?"

"Sounds perfect." Jay appeased.

They both smiled and Jay put his arms around Emma. They were comforted by the sheer closeness each other while in the simple act of watching a movie, after the extremely stressful past few days they'd had.

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**Thanks for the great reviews so far and for continuing to read! More is coming soon! Preview: Meet Jay's mom.**


	48. Chapter 48

A few weeks have passed since Jay was released from jail. Emma and Manny have been spending more time with their new friend, Jestine. They have been going shopping at the mall, to the movies, and to the Dot just to hang out. Sometimes Jay came along, but usually it was just the girls and then Emma went to see Jay afterward.

Jay's parents have been making more of an effort to spend time with him as well. They work in sales together and often take long business trips out of town. They have never really had time to be good parents, but ever since Jay went to jail, they have decided to only make day trips and stay closer to home. Believe it or not, Jay has been happy about his parents being around more, even if it does cut down on his time alone with Emma every now and then. Even still, Emma has been spending less time at her own house and more time at Jay's and because of that she has had a good amount of time to get to know his parents better. They really like her but are cautious of the recent effects she has had on Jay. They are aware of the fact that Emma is the reason Jay started the fight that landed him in jail and are a bit concerned with how intense their relationship seems. On the other hand, Jay's parents have also noticed the _good_ influence Emma has had on his school work and diminished partying habits. Also thanks to Emma, Jay's bruises and cuts from the fight have almost completely healed.

One Thursday night while Jay and Emma were hanging out at his house, Jay's mom came in and sat down with them. Jay was sitting on one end of the couch and Emma was lying across it with her head on Jay's chest under his arm that he had around her. Jay's mom sat down in a chair next to the couch.

"Hey Mom." Jay acknowledged his mother while making no effort what-so-ever to move from the position he was in with Emma.

"Jason. Emma."

"Hi Mrs. Hogart." Emma attempted to sit up and Jay started to release her.

"No, no, as you were, please. And, I do wish you would call me Penny, Emma." The truth was, Penny was having trouble relearning how to be a good parent and at times she overcompensated by trying too hard to be 'the cool mom' and at other times she could be overly strict. She had not found a balance between the two quite yet.

"Oh, right, sorry." Emma looked up at Jay, he smiled at her, and she relaxed back into his arms.

"So, what are you two up to tonight?" Penny asked.

"Oh, we were just planning on hanging out here for a little while." Emma answered politely.

Jay added, "Yeah, Emma has to go home soon. We have school tomorrow and she has a school night curfew."

"School night curfew, eh?" Penny's interest was piqued. "Not a bad idea. What do you think, Jason?"

Jay tensed. "Well, I…uh..."

Penny chuckled. "Relax, I'm kidding." She turned to Emma. "It's just so fun to watch him squirm."

"Yeah, real fun." Jay said sarcastically as Emma giggled.

"So…Emma, we've been spending an awful lot of time with you lately but I feel as though I still don't know much about you." Penny said, changing the subject.

"Mom?[!]" Jay interjected, embarrassed.

Emma laughed. "It's ok, Jay." She addressed Penny. "Let me see…Well, I'm a vegetarian, I care about the environment, and I love your son. My parents are very supportive of at least the first two."

"Really? They don't care for your relationship with Jason?"

"They're more okay with it, now, than they were in the beginning," Emma clarified, "but they still have a few concerns."

"And what would those concerns be?" Penny pressed on, even though she could see Jay becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

"Mom, come on!" Jay squeaked.

"It's okay. I don't mind." Emma reassured. "I would imagine they have some of the same concerns you and Mr. Hogart have about our relationship."

"Yes, I suppose so." Penny nodded thoughtfully as she considered her own reservations about her son's relationship.

"But, these are our lives, mine and Jay's, so we should be free to make all of the good and bad decisions in them." Emma delivered her point calmly and matter-of-factly. She was not at all trying to be disrespectful, just confident. "How else will we learn what to do and not to do in the future, if we don't experience it for ourselves?"

Jay could sense that his mother was not exactly angered by this but that she still felt the need to start into some kind of parental lecture, probably along the lines of "As long as you're under my roof…" Before she had a chance, however, Emma looked down at her watch and added, "Oh, I'm sorry Mrs.-…Penny, but I have to go home now."

Penny seemed a bit disappointed that she did not get the final word, but said, "Oh, yes, dear. I hope we can talk again soon." She smiled.

"Yeah, I would like that." Emma stood up and smiled back politely.

"I'll walk you home." Jay jumped up, seeming desperate to get out of the house even for a few minutes. "Goodnight, Mom. I'll be back soon."

"Goodnight…Oh, Jason, your father and I will be going on a business trip this weekend. We are leaving tomorrow afternoon and we won't be back until late Sunday afternoon."

"Aw, come on, I thought you guys weren't going on overnight trips anymore." Jay was clearly disheartened and Emma squeezed his hand in hers in an attempt to comfort him.

"I know. I'm sorry, but we just couldn't get out of this one." Penny explained.

"Whatever, it's fine." Jay replied, brushing her off. "I'll be back in a little while, okay?"

"Okay." Penny nodded. "Bye, Emma."

Emma gave her a light smile. "Bye Penny."

Jay walked Emma home and they paused outside her front door.

"Sorry about my mom back there." Jay sank his hands into his jeans pockets.

Emma sighed and touched his arm affectionately. "At least she's trying."

"Yeah, I guess. So, uh, I'll see you at school tomorrow." Jay pulled his hands out of his pockets and placed them on either side of Emma's face to kiss her goodbye and then he walked back to his own house.

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**Thanks for reading and reviewing! More is coming soon! Preview: With Jay's parents away, how much will he and Emma play?**


	49. Chapter 49

The next day was Friday. Jay and Emma were making out against Emma's locker when Manny walked up to them.

"Really, you two, get a room already!" Manny joked.

Jay heard Manny but offered no response. He did, however, move his lips from Emma's and started, instead, to kiss her neck so that Emma could talk to Manny.

As Jay kept Emma pinned against her locker, she threw her eyes over toward Manny. "Hey, Manny. What's up?"

With Jay all over her best friend, Manny felt a little uncomfortable while attempting to hold a normal conversation, but she went with it anyway. "What, uh, did you get for that last question on the literature test yesterday?"

"Um…I think I put 'A.'" Emma answered Manny so nonchalantly that it was clear she was unfazed by Jay nibbling on her like some kind of horny vampire.

"Shoot, I put 'C.' Oh well, I think that was the only one I had trouble with." Just then, the bell rang. Neither Jay nor Emma moved an inch. "…Uh, Em, we're gonna be late for class."

Emma sighed. "Jay?" She lightly pushed him off of her.

Jay backed off for a second but then leaned in to try to kiss her lips again. Emma kept her hands on his shoulders and pushed on him again.

"Jay, I have to go to class, can we continue this later?"

"I guess so." He backed completely off, clearly disappointed. Emma was finally able to move and she walked over to Manny. "Later, beautiful."

Emma and Manny walked to their next class together while giggling and talking. Jay stood there for a minute watching them walk away and then he turned and went to his own class.

**…**

After school, Jay met up with Emma on the outside steps of Degrassi. He slyly slipped his arms around her waist. "Now, where were we?"

"Oh..." She put her arms around his neck. "I think we were right…about…here." She leaned in and kissed him.

Jay regrettably was the first one to pull away after a little more intense kissing, but he kept his arms around her. "So, what do you want to do tonight? You know, my parents left for their business trip today and they'll be gone all weekend, so…we could always just go back to my place." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Emma's arms were still around Jay's neck. "Hmm, I like the sound of that, but how about a movie first?"

"Whatever you want."

They both let go with one arm and kept the other arm around each other as they walked to Jay's car. _Some Like It Hot_ was playing at the old one-dollar movie theater downtown. By the time the movie was over, darkness was already claiming the sky outside. The two love birds hopped into Jay's car and headed toward his house.

While in the car, Emma turned to Jay. "Thanks for taking me to that movie. I know it's not really your kind of movie. I mean, no one got blown up or anything." She smirked.

"It wasn't that bad. It was actually kind of funny and Marilyn Monroe was super hot."

Emma rolled her eyes and laughed. A few minutes later, they were pulling up to Jay's house. Emma was suddenly nervous about going inside with him. It was not like this was the first time they were going to be alone in his house together, but it felt different nonetheless. Could this be the moment they both had been hoping for? She wanted to be absolutely sure.

It was a crisp mid-February evening and as Jay parked his car in his driveway and started toward his front door, Emma did not follow.

Jay turned back to Emma. "Uh, you coming, or what?"

"Let's take a walk."

"Are you sure? It's pretty cold out."

"I know. Just for a few minutes. Come on, just look at the stars with me." She held out her hand for his.

He took her hand and smiled. "Sure thing, Nelson."

They held each other's gloved hands as they walked down the sidewalk, in their heavy winter coats, looking up at the sky.

"It's such a beautiful night, don't you think?" Emma asked Jay with her eyes glued to the crystal clear twinkling lights above them.

Jay stopped walking and stood in front of Emma. She continued to look up until Jay took one of her hands into each of his. Emma lowered her eyes to Jay's and cocked her head to one side as she wondered what he was thinking about.

"_You're_ the beautiful one." Jay kissed Emma as a light dusting of snow began to fall.

The night was finally perfect and Emma knew that only one thing could make it even better. They stood there, watching the snow fall, for a few more minutes, then silently conveyed to each other that they were ready to go inside. As the snowflakes grew in size, they practically ran to Jay's front door.

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**Thanks for reading! Your reviews make me so happy, so please continue to write them! More is coming very soon! Preview: Jay and Emma "warm up" inside Jay's house. But, what happens when the inside of _Emma_'s house is icier than it is outside?**


	50. Chapter 50

Jay and Emma jumped over the threshold and into the warmth of Jay's house. They brushed the snow off of each other's shoulders and then took off their coats and gloves.

Emma hugged herself and rubbed her arms. "Wow, it's really cold out there." Pain prickled over her skin as the drastic change in temperature reddened her fingertips and face while she 'thawed out.'

"Why don't you let me warm you up?" Jay kissed her while he smoothed his hands up and down her arms.

Emma's black and gray striped scarf was the first article to come off. Jay laid it on the back of a chair as they clumsily moved closer to the couch while still kissing. There was a moment when Jay's lips left Emma's to find the sweet spot where her neck met her collarbone and in that moment Emma breathlessly called out his name. Jay smiled into her neck with the satisfaction of knowing that he had given her some sort of pleasure.

Emma's sweater soon accompanied her scarf on the chair. She was not giving any indication that she wanted things to slow down or stop, so Jay started to push her shirt up.

"Wait…"

"Ok. Sorry. Backing off now." Jay announced as he immediately removed his hands from Emma's waist and backed away.

"No, I don't want to stop. I just think we should go upstairs…to your room."

Jay was shocked. Did he just hear what he thought he heard? "Upstairs? Really?"

Emma smiled. "Yeah." She walked over to the bottom of the stairs and waited for him.

Jay walked over to Emma, took her hand, and led her up to his room. He kissed her as they entered the room and they sort of just fell onto the bed. Emma giggled and then grabbed at Jay's shirt, but he arrested her hands into his, momentarily halting any further activities.

"Are you sure, you're sure about this?"

Emma snickered. "Yes, I'm sure that I'm sure," she mocked.

"Okay, just checking." He let go of her hands and kissed her again.

The rest of their clothes hit the floor and soon enough they were waking up in bed together the next morning.

Jay was the first to wake up and, as he found Emma curled in toward him with her hands on his bare chest, all the blissful memories of the night before came flooding back to him. A few pieces of Emma's hair had fallen onto her face while she slept and Jay swept them back behind her ear. His gentle touch woke her up and her eyes blinked open.

"Morning, beautiful."

Emma looked into Jay's eyes and smiled. "Morning." Her happiness, however, quickly turned to panic. "Jay, it's morning!"

"Yeah, that's usually how it works. The sun goes down at night and then it comes back up again in the morning." Jay teased.

"But, it's Saturday morning! I was supposed to be home before Friday night ended!"

"Okay, calm down. We'll just get dressed and I'll take you home. We can talk to your parents together."

"Thanks, but there's no reason both of us have to die." Her attempt at levity was unsuccessful. They both knew that her statement was not really that far from the truth. Nothing short of an earth shattering blow up almost certainly awaited Emma at her house. She was just determined not to bring Jay down with her. "I need to do this myself."

"But, Em, this is my fault too."

"Fault? Jay, I don't regret anything about this. Do you?"

"No, of course not."

"Okay, then don't start bringing guilt into this. I'm going to get enough of that at home. I just know that my parents are going to think I wasn't ready for this. They won't be interesting in anything you want to say. You just have to trust me on that. Besides, I knew that I had to be home last night, so this is on me."

After dressing, they went downstairs, and Emma tugged on her sweater that Jay had neatly lain on the chair, by the couch, the night before. Finally, she wrapped her neck in her scarf, zipped up her coat, and walked to the front door.

"If I'm ever allowed out again, I'll see you at school on Monday."

Jay nodded but did not smile. "Good luck. I love you."

"Thanks, I love you too."

One quick kiss and Emma was out the door. She ran home as the cold air bit at her small patches of exposed skin. The window to her room was locked, so she had to go directly into the 'snake' pit. She entered through the front door quietly, hung up her coat in the hall closet, and tried to sneak down to her room before her parents woke up. All hope of that was dashed when she found her parents already awake and in the kitchen eating breakfast.

Spike turned around and furrowed her brow. "Emma Christine Nelson, where have you been?(!)"

Snake looked up from his newspaper, as Emma sputtered out her answer. "A-at J-jay's. His parents are on a business trip, so we just sort of…well, we just…lost track of time."

Spike could not believe her ears. "You spent the night alone with a boy?(!)"

"Well, yes, but he's not just any boy. I love Jay."

"Did you two…?" Spike could not bring herself to form the words, so Emma did it for her.

"Have sex? Yes."

"Emma, how could you do this?(!) How could you let him push you into that, after everything I've-," Spike looked at Snake and immediately changed her thought, "-_we've_ taught you?"

"Jay didn't push me into anything. In fact, he's been very patient. There is no way anything would have happened last night, if I hadn't wanted it to. I wanted this and you can't make me feel bad about it."

"But, you're my little girl! I just want to keep you safe."

"Only, I'm not so little anymore. It's like I told Jay's mom. You have to let us make our own decisions, or we'll never learn anything for ourselves."

"Jay's mom, eh?" Spike raised an eyebrow as an idea formed in her mind. "When are his parents getting back into town?"

"Tomorrow afternoon, I think. Why?" Emma was extremely nervous about where this might be going, but at least her mom seemed to have calmed down and changed her focus.

"I think Archie and I should have a little chat with them, but we can put this conversation on hold for now. However," Emma's relief deflated with the sound of that one word, "there are still rules in this house, young lady. You shouldn't have stayed out all night without calling, so you are not going anywhere but to and from school for the next week. Understood?"

Emma nodded her head and took her opportunity to retreat down to her room. Her mom did not say anything about not being able to use her phone, so she called Manny and told her _everything_.

Back up in the kitchen, Spike turned to Snake. "Archie, she's just too young. I don't want her to have the same life that I did. We have to do something."

Snake placed his hand over Spike's on the table. "Don't worry, we will."

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**Thanks for still reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. More is coming soon! Preview: Jay calls to check on Emma.**


	51. Chapter 51

That evening, Emma was laying low in her room when her phone rang. When she picked it up, she heard, "Hey beautiful. It's good to know that you're still alive. How did it go?"

She answered, "It went."

"That bad?"

"My mom totally lost it! She went off about me still being her little girl and she made such a big deal about me spending the night alone _with a boy_." Emma put a sarcastic tone on those last few words, mocking how her mother had said them hours earlier. "I mean does she have selective memory or something? She let you stay alone with me that night they were with my brother in the hospital."

"But, that was different. I think she thought she had some control over that night. At least we were in '_her_' house at the time. If nothing else she knew where you were and who you were with. She was probably just worried about you last night."

"Why do you do that?" Emma sounded frustrated.

Jay proceeded with caution. "Do what?"

"Defend my parents when I complain about them."

"Well, it's no secret that my relationship with my own parents has been pretty nonexistent, so I guess I just think it's nice that yours actually care enough to worry about where you are and what you're doing." There was an awkward silence as Emma was suddenly stricken with guilt for playing the '_woe-is-me_' card in front of Jay after everything he had told her about his childhood of practically having to raise himself. Fortunately, for Emma, Jay changed the subject quickly. "So, what now? Are you ever allowed to see me again?"

"For now, I guess." Emma realized that she had not really discussed who she could and could not see with her parents as of yet, but she knew that their conversation was not over, just on hold. "But, my parents want to talk to your parents, tomorrow."

"Oh, okay," Jay replied nonchalantly.

"Okay?[!] How can that be okay?[!]"

Jay laughed a light-hearted, not-a-care-in-the-world, laugh. "Em, I'm not worried. No matter what they want to happen between us, they can't keep us apart 24/7. We still live in the same town and go to the same school."

Emma deflated. "Yeah, I guess you have a point there." Recently, Emma had begun to notice that Jay had a way of calming her better than anyone else in her life. At times, it annoyed her, because every now and then she just wanted to be mad. It made her feel better somehow, more empowered over whatever was making her go against her natural instinct to believe that people were inherently good, in the first place. Sometimes she just wanted to let her blood boil, but Jay never made it easy for her. The Emma that he fell in love with wanted to save the world and everyone-good, bad, and in between-who lived in it. Being angry at someone or something was not conducive to reaching that goal, so he always tried whatever he could to still the raging emotion that threatened to darken his girlfriend's beautifully bright eyes.

At least, this time, Emma was appreciative of his efforts and basked in the way he could make her feel even after such a stressful confrontation with her parents. "It's driving me crazy not being near you right now," she whispered as her heart tightened with the realization that the events of last night had solidified the bond between her and this guy on the other end of the phone line. The possibility of being taken away from him for longer than a day or two was a horrifying thought that she believed could cause her irreparable damage if it ever became a reality.

"Yeah, I want to be with you too. But, we probably shouldn't upset your parents anymore right now. They just need a little time."

"Patience has never been my strong suit."

"They'll come around."

There was another long pause as Emma, satisfied with the state of her parental problems for the moment, switched gears in her mind. "…So, um, should we talk about last night, or not? I'm not really sure how this works."

"What do you want to talk about?"

Emma's lack of experience suddenly made her extremely uncomfortable. "I don't know. Shouldn't we be having one of those '_what does this mean_' conversations? Or, do people not have those anymore, because sex doesn't mean what it used to mean in relationships?"

"Sex can mean whatever you think it means." Jay's tone was patient and kind. "What did last night mean to you?"

"You first." Emma's insecurities had come out to play. Did Jay feel the same way she did? There was no telling how many girls he had hooked up with back in his ravine days. Usually, that seemed like a lifetime ago, but what if it wasn't as _in the past _as she thought it was? Was it wrong for her to put so much consideration and emotion into something, Jay had once done and possibly still did just for fun, not love? She could not bring herself to tell him everything going on inside her head until she knew where he stood on all of this, for risk of humiliation.

Jay could sense Emma's anxiety building, so he skipped the '_I asked you first_' argument and went straight to his answer. "Okay, well, last night meant…everything to me. I know that it was your first time and for you to feel comfortable enough to share that with me…I just want you to know that I get it. I know you didn't go into this lightly, and it wasn't just another time for me. I've never loved like I love you and everything with you is more intense than anything I've ever experienced before. I just don't want you to worry that sex is all I wanted out of you, and that I am going to start to pull away now. This thing we have going here is much more than that for me, and I can't think of anywhere I would rather be than with you for as long as you'll let me."

Relief enveloped Emma. "You're kinda perfect, you know that?"

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

Emma rolled her eyes but smiled. Jay really was amazing and she was glad to hear that he felt the same way she felt about him. Just then, Spike hollered for her from upstairs. Emma moved the phone away from her mouth so that she would not yell into Jay's ear. "Be right there, Mom!"

Emma moved the phone back into position. "Jay, last night was amazing for me too and you just said exactly what I wanted to hear. I have to go now, but I'll see you at school on Monday, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. Bye, beautiful."

They both hung up and Emma went upstairs for a somewhat silent dinner with her parents and younger brother.

* * *

**Please forgive me for becoming a bit distracted by the 90's Are All That programming these last few weeks! I am so sorry it took me this long to update!**

**I hope you all liked this chapter. It literally took me days to get the wording just the way I wanted it. I felt as though the concept of the chapter was a bit boring, so I tried to dress it up with some fancy writing. Also, I didn't want to make Jay too mushy, but, considering this _is_ chapter 51, I think there has been enough time in their relationship for him to develop some real and strong feelings for Emma. So, I hope you like where this went. **

**More drama is coming soon! Preview: The 'rents have a talk.**


	52. Chapter 52

When Sunday afternoon finally came around, Spike called Jay's parents and invited them over for a "chat." Jay stayed home alone and Emma continued to simmer in her room. In a fit of rebellion, she had turned her stereo up to a notch just below ear-splitting because she did not want to have to answer to her parents for a little while. She would grace them with her presence again when she was good and ready.

When Jay's parents arrived at the Nelson-Simpson house, Spike was the one who answered the door. "Thanks for coming over. My husband, Archie, and I thought it was time to discuss the kids' relationship with you both."

Penny, Jay's mom, nodded in agreement. "Yes, we think so too. In fact, I was going to call you to set something up, myself."

All four adults sat down in the living room. They continued to introduce each other and shook hands.

"We're concerned that they are moving too fast." Snake interjected after introductions.

Jay's father, Richard, spoke up. "Things do seem a bit intense between them."

Penny squeezed her husband's shoulder and nodded again before she added, "And, with Jason getting into fights and being arrested…We just think he needs more help then we can give him here. He needs some reformation and a little separation could be good for the both of them."

Spike looked at Snake and they smiled at each other. "We completely agree," Spike announced.

"That's good," Richard began again, "because Penny and I have already discussed this and we want to send Jason to the boarding school in Oregon, that I graduated from, for awhile. The school is very strict and did wonders for me. Once we check him in, he will not be able to leave without our permission. We have to stay here for our jobs while he's there, but we'll take a few days off to get him settled."

Spike was a little surprised that Jay's parents already had a plan. "Wow, I had no idea, you both had already put so much thought into this, but that sounds great. When are you thinking about doing all of this?"

"I have to make a few more calls," Penny answered, "but everything should be set for us to take Jason down there this coming Saturday. Also, it might not be a bad idea to wait until then to tell the kids."

Spike nodded one more time. "Yes, that probably will be best. I am so glad that we are all in agreement here."

…

That following week was one of the best weeks of Emma and Jay's lives. They were blissfully happy and completely oblivious to what was coming.

One day, at school, Jay was leaning against his locker as Emma stood in front of him with her arms around his waist. He tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "You are so beautiful."

Emma smiled. "So…when can we have a repeat of Friday night?"

"Whenever you want." Jay smirked. "We just have to be more careful this time."

"Yeah, I can't be staying out all night anymore."

"That's not exactly what I meant." Jay's face turned serious.

"I know. I just wanted you to know that I trust you…completely."

"And, I'm glad, but we can't be reckless with our lives right now. Not with only one year left 'til graduation."

"Message received." Emma put on her best '_I'm so innocent_' look and batted her eyelashes as she changed the subject. "I love you."

Jay rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, yeah, I love you too." He pulled her into a kiss and then the bell rang.

…

When, Saturday afternoon finally arrived, Emma, her parents, and her little brother Jack were at the park. Emma's parents had decided to tell her about Jay's parents plan to take him away after a little long lost bonding time with her. What they didn't know was that Jay's parents had brought him to the park, too, on the same pretense of some quality family time. However, for Jay's parents, it was much more than that. They wanted one more nice memory with their son, before they took him from the only life he has ever known, for his own good, or so they believed…

Snake pushed Jack along in a stroller, as Emma and her parents came to a big clearing in the park. Emma spotted Jay and his parents at the other end of the park heading toward the parking lot.

"Oh, there's Jay and his parents," Emma announced. "I'm going to go say hi, okay?"

Spike suddenly felt a twinge of sympathy, but she still went ahead with the plan. "Emma, there's something we have to tell you, first."

Emma was unnerved by her mother's serious tone. "What is it?"

Spike began to tell Emma that Jay's parents were taking him away, but she did not tell her where. At the same time, Jay's parents were leading him to their car. The plan was to tell him everything once they were in the car and already on their way out of Canada, but they did not reach that point before panic struck Emma. Everything started to feel like it had been switched into slow-motion.

"Jay, they're taking you away!" Emma yelled across the park, as she swung her arms all around trying to make her parents let her go.

Jay turned in the direction of Emma's voice. They tried to run to each other, but their parents held them back.

"Emma!" Jay yelled back, as he struggled against his own parents' dual strength.

To her parents, Emma screamed, "Why are you doing this?[!]"

"It's what you both need," Spike tried to reason.

Emma scoffed. "This is the absolute last thing I need. Let me go!"

"Emma, I love you! I'll find a way to get back here!" Jay promised, just before his parents used their last bit of desperation and strength to overpower Jay and force him into the backseat of the car.

"I love you, too, Jay!" was the last thing Jay heard Emma say before the car sped away from her.

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**Ok, so, I know this chapter was a little all over the place, but I did not want to break it up into three smaller chapters. Plus, I think the erratic structure of the chapter matches what is going on here. I hope you enjoyed the drama! There is much more to come!**

**I also know that this is one of the worst places to leave this, so I will try to update very very soon! Preview: Emma's friends try to help her deal.**


	53. Chapter 53

**Sorry it took me so long to get this up! But, the good news is I am posting two chapters tonight to make up for it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song/lyrics used in this chapter.**

* * *

Emma held herself together as she power-walked back home leaving her parents and brother to lag far behind. She flung the front door open and stomped in. Several seconds later Spike and Snake also crossed the threshold with Jack in his stroller.

Spike attempted to reason with her daughter. "Emma, I know you're upset right now, but you'll see that-."

"Don't talk to me," Emma interrupted, flatly, without making eye contact and then stormed down to her room.

After slamming shut the door to her bedroom, Emma collapsed onto her bed and finally broke down. She cried herself to sleep that night just like every other night for a long time thereafter.

…

About a week later, on a Saturday afternoon, Manny and Jestine went over to Emma's house for an 'inter-friend-tion.' Emma had been in a funk for a whole week and it was clear that she needed some major cheering up. They wanted to take her out to the mall, but they were having a difficult time convincing her to go.

"I don't know you guys. I just really don't feel like it," Emma whined.

Manny sat down on the bed next to her best friend. "Oh come on, Em, it'll be fun."

"Yeah, there's no better therapy than retail therapy!" Jestine added.

While still defeated by recent events, Emma tried to let her friends down easy. "I appreciate the effort, I really do, but I think I should just stay here."

"This is no longer an option," Manny announced as she hopped up. "You're going."

Jestine and Manny nodded at each other and then each grabbed one of Emma's arms and pulled her up/off of her bed.

"But, I-," Emma protested.

Her two friends playfully pushed her up the stairs.

"No buts. You're going to have fun today whether you like it or not!" Jestine commanded.

All three of the girls laughed as they realized that did not make any sense and then hopped into Manny's car to head toward the mall.

…

At the mall, the three girls went into all the big name clothing stores, bought a few things here and there, and had lunch in the food court. They then decided to go into _Claire's_ for some accessories. While they were in there, _A Thousand Miles_ by Vanessa Carlton started playing through the speakers above them.

"Oh, I love this song!" Manny declared.

The other two simultaneously shouted, "Me too!"

All three giggled and then began to sing along:

Making my way downtown  
Walking fast  
Faces pass  
And I'm home bound

Staring blankly ahead  
Just making my way  
Making a way  
Through the crowd

And I need you  
And I miss you

Emma froze as the lyrics sank in and the song continued.

and now I wonder

If I could fall  
Into the sky  
Do you think time  
Would pass me by  
'Cause you know I'd walk  
A thousand miles  
If I could  
Just see you…tonight

A single tear fell from Emma's eye. "I can't do this anymore, you guys."

"Oh, Emma, I'm sorry. I guess I didn't think of the song like that," Manny apologized. "Let's get you out of here."

"Yeah," Jestine put an arm around Emma's waist for support, "come on."

When they reached the parking lot, Manny and Jestine hugged their friend as she cried harder. Eerily, though, after just a few minutes, Emma turned off her emotions just as quickly as she had turned them on and stoically asked Manny to take her home.

…

In front of Emma's house, she showed her gratitude to both of her friends. "Thanks, you guys. It really was nice to get out for a little while. I'm just sorry I ruined the rest of the afternoon for us."

"Em, don't even worry about it." Manny put a hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Things will get better, you'll see. I'm sure they'll bring Jay back soon."

"I hope you're right, Manny. Bye, you two." Emma attempted a smile, but it fell just short of one.

The girls went their separate ways and Emma entered her house.

"Hi, sweetie!" came the overly cheerful voice of Emma's mother. "Did you have a good afternoon with your friends?"

Emma walked right past Spike, completely ignoring her, and went straight down to her room to sulk. She cried herself to sleep once again that night.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! I promise it will not be this depressing forever. Preview: Jay's POV just after checking into his new school.**


	54. Chapter 54

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song/lyrics used in this chapter.**

* * *

Let's backtrack about a week to when Jay first arrived at his new school in Oregon.

"Okay, you are all set, Jason." Jay's mother had just finished unpacking the last of his stuff into his new dorm room. "We will come back for you in a few months. Try to think of this as a good thing. This school may be just what you need. It did wonderful things for your father."

"Yeah, whatever," came the harsh tone of Jay's voice.

"Jason?" His father was stunned by Jay's attitude, like nothing was out of the ordinary about this situation. It just made Jay even angrier.

"Don't talk to me. Either of you. Let's not drag this out any longer. Just go ahead and leave me here like you planned all along!" Jay turned away from his parents and they left without another word.

…

A few days later, Jay wrote Emma a letter. His parents had taken his cell phone with them, so snail mail was the only form of communication he was allowed with the world outside the walls of his new home and school.

Jay's letter:

To my beautiful Emma,

I hate that my parents did this. It's so typical of them to do something like this instead of being actual parents and talking to me about what has been going on. Any excuse to not have to care for me.

This place is like a prison. They keep tabs on my every move. My roommate's not so bad, though. He's showing me how to make this place livable. I was invited to a secret dorm party, of the adult drinking kind, the other day, but I just couldn't loosen up. All of these people were smiling around me and all I could do was think of how I'm not with you. How I'm not _allowed_ to be with you. Then, I heard this song that pretty much sums up how I'm feeling right now:

I find the map and draw a straight line  
Over rivers, farms, and state lines  
The distance from 'A' to where you'd be  
It's only finger-lengths that I see  
I touch the place where I'd find your face  
My fingers in creases of distant dark places

I hang my coat up in the first bar  
There is no peace that I've found so far  
The laughter penetrates my silence  
As drunken men find flaws in science

Their words mostly noises  
Ghosts with just voices  
Your words in my memory  
Are like music to me

I'm miles from where you are,  
I lay down on the cold ground  
I, I pray that something picks me up  
And sets me down in your warm arms

After I have travelled so far  
We'd set the fire to the third bar  
We'd share each other like an island  
Until exhausted, close our eyelids  
And dreaming, pick up from  
The last place we left off  
Your soft skin is weeping  
A joy you can't keep in

I'm miles from where you are,  
I lay down on the cold ground  
And I, I pray that something picks me up  
and sets me down in your warm arms

I'm miles from where you are,  
I lay down on the cold ground  
and I, I pray that something picks me up  
and sets me down in your warm arms

I found out later that the song is called _Set the Fire to the Third Bar_ by Snow Patrol.

I miss you more each day, Em. I would give anything to have the reunion that the song talks about. But, I hope you are finding ways to make it through while I'm away. I promise I will get back to you as soon as I can. In the meantime try to stay the strong Emma Nelson that I know you are.

Love, Jay

…

Emma never received that letter, however. Her parents did not want her to try to run away as soon as she found out where Jay was. Jay just thought that Emma found it too difficult to write to him and/or too pain to even think about him. He waited a few weeks for a letter back and then just gave up hoping and never wrote a second letter. He just grew increasingly more upset with the situation and more depressed in general.

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**Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope enjoyed the connection between these two chapters and that it came across as clearly as it did in my head. More should be coming soon! Preview: A huge chunk of time has passed. How are Emma and Jay holding up?**


	55. Chapter 55

**First of all, I am so sorry that I failed at being a prompt updater once again, but at least I am back now, right? Second, this chapter touches on a subject that tends to turn readers off of fanfictions with young couples especially. All I ask is that you read this _entire _chapter before making any judgements. I think you will be significantly surprised. I would have hated myself for throwing this subject in here, if I had done anything else but I what did with it. Ok, enough with the cryptic. Please enjoy...**

* * *

Seven long months have passed since that day in the park when Jay was taken away from Emma and anything that was ever familiar to him. He left in the middle of March during their junior year and it was now mid-October of their senior year. Jay's new school went year-round with no summer break, but Emma had experienced an agonizingly long and boring summer which was spent mostly in her room, alone. At least when school started up again she had some form of a distraction and an excuse to be out of the house she had grown sick of.

Emma's life was turned upside down in Jay's absence, but she never stopped hoping that each new day would be the day he was allowed to come back…About a month after Emma and Jay had been separated, Emma found out that she was pregnant. Without being able to discuss her options with Jay, she decided that the fairest thing to do was to keep the baby. They could consider adoption if/when Jay ever made it back to her.

The news had disappointed Emma's parents. They could not understand how Emma could be so reckless with her body and her future after everything her mother and Manny went through. After their initial shock, however, Emma's parents decided to support her decision to keep the baby and held out for those rare moments when Emma actually let them take care of her when she was too tired to fight them or needed a ride to and from doctor's appointments.

Emma had also hoped that her decision to go ahead with the pregnancy would give Jay's parents more incentive to bring him back. Surely they would not make her go through this without him…Would they?...What she did not know was that all four of the parents had already made an agreement that Jay was not to find out about Emma's condition. They decided that he had not been away long enough to make any significant behavior changes and that telling him what was going on would only hinder his progress.

Unfortunately, none of the decisions or doctor's appointments turned out to matter when two months later Emma suffered a miscarriage. Her doctor had determined that stress had played a major role in the devastating event, but her other test results had been inconclusive. Emma was assured that even though her stress level was abnormally high, it was likely that other factors, near impossible to pinpoint but most certainly beyond her control, had also contributed to the miscarriage. Despite this news, Emma still blamed herself and the event sent her into a downward spiral of depression. She cut herself off from her emotions and never discussed them with anyone. Manny and Jestine tried to get through to her, but she would not even let her closest friends in. Her parents tried to convince her to talk about her feelings, too, but she hardly ever said more than two words to them at any one time anymore. Emma just completely shut down and began to change her outward appearance to match how she felt on the inside. Her new all-black wardrobe was a touch on the scandalous side with a few tighter and more revealing, items, and she dyed the bottom of the undermost layer of her hair black. Her new style was the same mixture of the rebellion and mourning that was screaming inside of her every day.

And Jay? He could not stand not knowing how Emma was and it physically pained him to think that she might have moved on without him. He just lived day to day hoping that each one would be the day his parents would come pick him up and bring him back to Degrassi…and back to Emma. And, as for reform school, since he did not need it to begin with, nothing really changed. If anything, he hardened back up a bit. With Emma, Jay had been able to be truly open and vulnerable for the first time, but without her, he had reconstructed the wall between himself and his emotions.

And now, seven months since the last time they saw each other, Jay's parents had finally checked him out of the boarding school and were on their way back to their house in Canada. They came to their senses, realized that Jay did not need that school, and felt badly about how extremely Emma was falling apart. However, they still did not want Jay to be with Emma and planned to discuss that with him after he settled back in at home. The ride home was awkward and silent because Jay was still furious with his parents but also grateful that he was finally being taken home. As soon as they walked in the door to their house, Jay unpacked quickly and then turned right around, hopped in his car, and headed straight for Degrassi and Emma, before his parents had a chance to stop him. As he pulled into the school parking lot, the final bell rang out and students began to fill the halls and file out of the exit doors. He raced up the front steps past several small groups of students reuniting with friends after a long day of classes apart. As he entered the building, he walked up to where he thought Emma's locker had been, but he found a girl with blonde and black hair in a tight black outfit with her back to him at a locker instead.

Jay tapped the girl on the shoulder. "Excuse me. Do you know where I can find Emma Nelson?"

"Who wants to know?" the girl asked with a hint of impatience, before slowly turning around… "Jay?[!]"

Jay blinked hard. "Emma?[!]"

* * *

**I know that was an evil cliffhanger, but I plan to update again within the week. I really mean it this time! Thanks for reading and reviewing and I hope you are still with me! See you again soon!**


	56. Chapter 56

Jay was thrown by Emma's appearance but only for a second. He pulled her into a hug that seemed to last for hours but was really only a minute or so, then they let go of each other and stepped back.

"Wow Em, you look…different," Jay observed.

Emma nervously looked around. "What are you doing here? How did you-?"

Jay smiled. "It's okay. My parents brought me back. I guess they finally realized we need to be together." He grabbed Emma into another hug and audibly sighed as he took in the familiarity and immediate comfort he felt wrapped in her arms again after so long. "I missed you so much."

Just as Jay's lips were about to touch Emma's, she pushed him back. "Not here." She looked around again and then led Jay outside.

He raised an eyebrow as he scanned the front courtyard of the school and spotted all of the people out on it. "How is this better?"

"Well, Snake is inside and now we are outside," Emma explained. "As long as he doesn't see us, I don't care who does…Are you actually here? Is this really real?"

"It's real alright." Jay smirked. "Let me show you."

They shared a hot, passionate, kiss that had been such a long time coming. Everything felt so right once again after the eternity that was the last seven months, but then something inside Emma snapped her back to reality and she pushed Jay off of her.

"Wait, I can't do this."

"What?" Jay was extremely confused. "Why?" Just then disappointment flooded through Jay. "Oh…Is there another guy?"

Emma was surprised that Jay would even ask a question like that, but she answered calmly and honestly. "No, it's not another guy. There was never anyone else for me."

"Not for me either," Jay admitted. "So, what is it then?"

Emma began to distance herself both physically and mentally. "I just…can't. We can't just jump right back into things like nothing ever happened!"

Jay took Emma's hands into his. "Why not?"

Emma pulled her hands back to herself and turned her eyes away from Jay. "You were gone for a long time, Jay."

"Yeah, I know, seven months, nine days, and eighteen hours." Jay tried to brush Emma's cheek with his hand, but she moved away.

Emma's eyes were glued to the ground for fear that eye contact would give too much of her pain away. "I never even knew where you were."

Jay was having trouble understanding why Emma was acting this way. "What do you mean?"

"My parents refused to tell me."

"But, I sent you a letter."

"Well, I never got it!" Emma snapped and then quickly regretted it. None of this was Jay's fault.

"I just thought you didn't want to write to me," Jay confessed.

Emma softened her tone and finally looked straight into Jay's eyes again. "…That would never happen."

Jay looked at Emma with eyes that showed a mixture of relief and remorse for not believing that she would wait for him. "I'm sorry…I didn't know."

Emma had grown to despise that sympathetic tone Jay now had and moved even farther from him.

Jay grew more confused. "Emma? What is going on?"

"Nothing," Emma lied, "I just can't handle this right now…I can't handle _you_ right now."

"Emma?[!]"

"There's just a lot you don't know about!"

Jay's confusion turned to frustration. "Yeah, like why you look like this!"

Feeling defensive, Emma snapped at Jay again. "What's wrong with the way I look?[!]"

Jay scanned Emma from head to toe. "Nothing, it's just not you."

"You don't know _who_ I am anymore!" Emma practically screamed. She knew she should not be yelling at Jay like this, but her jumbled emotions were overpowering her rational thought.

"That's not fair!" Jay flared. "I didn't choose for any of this to happen!"

"I know, but it did and I had to handle this all on my own!"

"Emma, what are you talking about? _What_ happened?" He put extra emphasis on the 'what.'

* * *

**Another cliffhanger?[!] Not to worry, more is coming soon! Thank you sooooo much for reading and reviewing! Your reviews of my last chapter made me oh so happy. I am glad people are still reading and enjoying this. See you again soon!**


	57. Chapter 57

Emma wanted, so badly, to tell Jay everything she had been through, but she just could not bring herself to form the words. "I…I was…I'm sorry, I can't." She darted her eyes away as they started to water, but she fought back actual tears. She had not cried in months and had almost forgotten what it was like to let herself do it.

"You can't what?" He tried to make their eyes meet again. "Come on Em, this is me you're talking to, here."

"I know." She sighed. "…I know."

"Then why can't you just tell me?"

"It's just," Emma lowered her voice a little, "…hard."

"Is it your parents? Or your brother?" Jay suggested, trying to make it easier for Emma to talk to him. "Is your brother sick again?"

There was that tone again.

Emma cringed. "No, my parents are fine, Jack's fine, everyone's fine, except…me."

"Okay, Em, you're scaring me. Please, just tell me." Jay gave Emma a pleading look.

Emma finally stuttered out her confession. "I-I…I was…I was pregnant!" As soon as the words left her lips, she gasped. The sound of the words in the open air between them shocked her. She had not been brave enough to say them out loud for far too long.

Jay was caught completely unprepared to hear that. It took him a second to respond after feeling like he had just been socked in the gut by some invisible force. "You what? Wait…was?"

"I had a miscarriage." She felt herself actually start to cry.

"Oh Emma, when did this happen?" His voice was tender and his concern was genuine, unlike so many others she had crossed paths with lately. Everyone had some words to offer about how sorry they were, but most of the time it was just to make themselves feel better. Emma now sensed that, with Jay, it was different and was momentarily able to be more open with him because of it.

"About four and a half months ago." A single tear fell down Emma's cheek but she quickly wiped it away and toughened up again.

"Em, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. I can't believe my parents didn't tell me." He tried to hold her, but she had already shut herself back down and pushed him away.

"No! The last thing I want is to be coddled. I'm fine."

Jay was again thrown by Emma's actions. "But, you just said you weren't. Come on, I know you. If you were really fine, it wouldn't have been that hard to tell me, and you wouldn't look like this."

"What if I just wanted a change? I mean, you were gone and I had no choice but to pick myself up and move on."

"That might work on your parents and your friends, but no matter how much you think you've changed or moved on, I know this is still bothering you."

Emma was surprised by how well Jay _did_ still know her but still felt like she needed to keep her guard up. "So what if you're right? Then what? You spout some more words of wisdom and then everything is just okay again?"

"No, I know that this going to take time to deal with, but we can do it together now." Again, he tried to hold her and again she pushed him away.

"What if I'm not ready to deal with it yet?[!]"

"Then we won't. The point is you don't have to go through this alone anymore."

"I don't know how not-to anymore." Emma's voice cracked as her composure weakened again.

"It's okay, we'll just ease into it." He slowly moved closer to her.

She backed away. "No, you don't get it! I've been alone for a _long_ time!"

Jay saw Emma starting to break and walked up to her again, but this time he wrapped his arms around her and did not let her get away. Emma put her hands on his chest, to block him, but it didn't help much. She pushed on him a few times as she screamed, "I was all alone!" But, it was no use, Jay held his grip, gently yet firmly.

Emma had almost completely lost her sense of control by this point but was still not crying yet, she pushed on him again. "Jay, I lost our baby and you weren't there!"

Jay just stood there and let Emma take out all her pain on him. "I know."

"You weren't…" Emma stopped pushing and moved as close as she could to Jay. "…there!" She finally broke and started to sob.

Jay held her tighter and spoke softly. "I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere."

Emma's knees became weak and Jay felt her weigh him down to his as she continued to cry. They stayed on the ground for a long time as Emma let out everything that had been bottled up for months and Jay silently held her through it all.

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**Thanks for reading and reviewing! Sorry this chapter took a little longer than expected, but the next one will be up very soon!**


	58. Chapter 58

They were still on the ground a little while later when Emma began to calm down. Jay helped her up and over to a bench that was just a few steps away.

As Emma sat down she tried to speak but all she managed to get out was a weak, "Jay-"

"Emma, I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you," Jay said, cutting Emma off. "I should have been here, but I-"

Emma interrupted Jay as her voice finally came back to her. "No, I know it's not your fault. My emotions have just been harder to control ever since you went away. That's why I usually just try to shut them off all together. But, then you showed up out of nowhere and _made_ me feel something again. No matter how much I might want to sometimes, I just never can manage to be immune to you. It was so awful here without you…I still don't even know where you were."

"Oh, right. Sorry. My parents shipped me off to a year-round boarding school for _troubled_ teens in Oregon."

Emma was flabbergasted. "They took you all the way to the states?"

"Yeah…but that's not important right now. We can talk about it later. I want to know more about what's going on with you right now. Am I the only one you've talked to about this in months?"

"Who was I supposed to talk to?" Emma asked as her mad-at-the-world attitude came out again. "Our parents were convinced that they were all doing the right thing by keeping us apart, even after it happened. Even Manny and some of my other friends said that I was probably better off without you. No one understood how much I needed you." Her voice cracked a little with that last line and the tears came rolling out again.

Jay put his arms around Emma and held her close again. "I'm sorry. I should have been there. My parents have some very choice words coming to them."

Emma lifted her eyes to Jay's and sniffled as she slowly began to dry her eyes again. "Yeah, mine too."

Jay looked into her red, puffy, eyes. "I get it, you know? You felt abandoned by everyone close to you. I was being kept away and your family and friends were all on the same side, against us. But, you don't have to feel that way any longer."

Emma gave him a weak smirk. "When did you get so insightful?"

"Must be a side effect of being made to go to class on regular basis." Jay smirked back at her. "I'm so glad that's over."

Emma giggled a little and then shook her head.

"I missed that," Jay said as he audibly sighed after hearing Emma laugh.

She laid her head on Jay's shoulder. "I'm exhausted. Would you mind driving me home now?"

"I'd love to beautiful." Jay stood up and picked Emma up 'bridal style.'

Emma put her arms around Jay's neck and held on tight. "Jay?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad you're back." She rested her head on his chest.

"Me too." Jay shifted his hold on Emma, making her giggle again, then, carried her to his car.

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**Thanks for continuing to read! Sorry that this chapter turned out to be on the short side, but I hope to have more up very soon! Preview: "Jay, look out!"**


	59. Chapter 59

As Emma and Jay headed to her house in the car, Jay tried to get her to talk some more. "So, how did it happen?"

Emma was looking out the passenger's side window but turned her head to Jay when he asked that. She had, had a light smile on her face, but it quickly faded as she thought about how to answer him. "I…I can't...I jus-, I just don't want to talk about it yet…I'm not ready to remember."

Jay nodded to show that he understood. "But, you're okay, right? I mean…like…physically?"

"Yeah…I guess so." Emma crossed her arms in front of her chest and turned to look out the window again. She was shutting back down because it was what she was used to. Anytime someone tried to talk to her about the miscarriage, she had always avoided the subject and reverted back inside herself. She thought it was easier than actually dealing with her pain.

Jay looked over and realized that he was losing her again. "Em, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Please don't do this."

Creating as much emotional distance as she could between the two of them, in the small car, Emma replied, "What? I'm fine."

While still driving, Jay turned to look at Emma. "Emma…Come on, you don't really think I believe that, do you?" He returned his eyes to the road in front of them.

Emma uncrossed her arms. "It just hurts to think about, ya know?" She turned her soft, wounded, eyes toward Jay.

As he felt Emma's eyes on him, he looked over at her again. "Yeah…"

"Jay look out!" Emma yelled and pointed out the windshield.

"Whoa!" Jay swerved to miss the mailbox he was headed straight for and then pulled over and slammed on the breaks. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked over at Emma. "Are you okay?"

Emma turned toward Jay with an emotionless face. Then a smile came across it and she burst into a fit of laughter. Jay just stared at her with a confused look but then smiled and started laughing too.

"Wow, Jay. Did you forget how to drive while you were in Oregon?"

"I was just distracted by how much I love you." Jay smirked, put the car back into gear, and started off in the direction of Emma's house again.

"You definitely haven't lost your corny charm." Emma smiled, rolled her eyes, and shook her head.

"You know you love it." …A few minutes later, Jay parked his car in front of Emma's house.

Emma stared up at her ominous-looking front door and felt a sudden cold chill. "There's so much I want to say to them, or, rather, yell, but then there's this other part of me that still doesn't want to speak to them at all. I don't even know where to start. What if I get in there and I just freeze up?"

"I could go in there with you. Strength in numbers and all that, right?"

"I don't know…" Emma visibly shivered with anxiety.

"We can do this…then we'll go take on _my_ parents, together, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." She tucked her hair behind her ears and looked up at Jay. "So, do I look okay?" Her eyes were puffy and red and her hair was messed up.

Jay looked straight into her eyes and smiled. "You look beautiful."

Thinking that their standards for beautiful were slightly different, she searched through her purse for a mirror. When she finally looked at herself, she rolled her eyes and started to groom. "Why do I even bother asking you?"

"What? Honestly, to me, you do look beautiful."

"That's sweet, but if I walk in there like this, we are gonna get nowhere real fast." She dug into her purse again, pulled out some concealer and dabbed it under her eyes. She then straightened out her hair a bit more. "Okay, that's better. We can go now."

"You're sure this time?" Jay teased.

Emma playfully smacked him on the arm.

"Just checking!"

They both got out of the car and walked toward each other. Jay put his arm around Emma's shoulders and Emma put her arm around Jay's lower back. They both looked at each other, took a deep breath, and started to walk up to Emma's front door.

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**Thanks for reading and for your fan-tastic reviews! I will update again as soon as I can! Preview: The long awaited confrontations between our favorite couple and their parents.**


	60. Chapter 60

**Sorry that this took me forever and a day to post! It literally took me weeks to edit this chapter into something I could be proud of. I hope it meets your approval!**

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Emma and Jay walked into the Nelson-Simpson house to find both sets of parents sitting in the living room. Jay's parents had come over to let Spike and Snake know that they brought Jay back home. They looked at it as sort of a warning because they knew where their son was headed in such a hurry earlier that day. The four parents had been discussing their respective children for the past few hours and were trying to figure out how to proceed from here when Emma and Jay walked in. For a moment, it was as if they were five years old again as the sight of their parents completely intimidated them. Emma, however, quickly gathered all of the courage and strength she had left inside of her, squeezed Jay's hand to remind herself that he was still there, and finally broke the long, awkward, silence.

"Well, I'm glad you're _all_ here," Emma stated with strained confidence. "I-" She looked up at Jay. "_We_ have some things to say to you and this will just save us from having to repeat ourselves."

Spike jumped in and tried to keep her daughter's anger from escalating. "Emma, we-"

"No, wait!" Emma interrupted. "Just let me get this out. Jay and I have done what you all wanted for long enough. It's our turn to make some decisions. Starting with our decision to be together again, no matter what any of you have to say about it."

"Emma, are you sure that's such a good idea?" Spike worried. "A lot has happened in the past few months, and you are extremely fragile right now."

"I know what I can handle!" Emma snapped. "And I told Jay about the miscarriage, so you can stop talking around it. You should really try some honesty. I've heard it's good for you."

"That's enough, Emma," Snake asserted.

"Is it? Is it enough, Mr. Simpson?" Jay jumped to Emma's defense. "Who here even knows when enough is enough anymore?" He turned to his own parents. "I mean, why did it take you guys nearly five months after Emma's miscarriage before you _deigned_ to bring me back here?[!] That was going to be my kid too! We should have been allowed to grieve together, but instead you let Emma lose herself. I was the only one who could understand the pain she was going through and yet you still kept me away. I don't know if I can ever forgive you two for not telling me about this."

Jay's mom was almost in tears. "Jay, we just-."

"No contact whatsoever!" Jay continued, cutting off his mother. "You just let me think that everything was fine here…that she didn't want to write to me."

"Actually, that was my parents," Emma chimed in. "Where's my letter, Mom?[!] You know, the letter from Jay that you hid from me because you didn't want me to know where he was! Why Mom? Why did you do it?[!]"

"We just wanted to protect you!" Spike tried to hold her daughter, but Emma stepped back, avoiding her.

"Protect me?" Emma was flabbergasted. She wondered, in what world could tearing two people, in love, apart ever be a form of protection? "Protect me from what? Jay? He is the very last person I need protection from!"

"Not according to your history together…" Snake intervened. "We thought we were doing you both a favor."

Emma shuddered. "Can't you see that what you thought you were protecting me from happened anyway? I got pregnant before you took Jay away from me and I needed him more than I needed anyone else in my life when I lost the baby! I shut down because no one could substitute for him in that moment and I never really came back!" Spike was almost in tears as Emma continued, now addressing all four parents that sat before her. "How could you do this to us?[!] By trying to 'protect' us from each other, you really only made things worse!"

Jay put a comforting hand on Emma's back as he addressed the parents again. "Neither of us were really living for the past seven months. We were just in a holding pattern, waiting to be reunited!"

Both moms started to cry.

Jay's father spoke up for the first time. "Jason, we were only trying to let you get the help you needed before bringing you back."

Jay was shocked. "You're really still convinced that I needed to be at that school?"

"And you don't think so?" Jay's father asked in honest curiosity.

"No, I don't! Ever since Emma and I started going out, I've changed." Jay looked at Emma. "She makes me want to be better."

"Where was all of that wanting to be a better person when you were arrested for assault?" Snake interrogated.

"That guy was a jerk who deserved what he got!" Jay defended. "He came on to Emma and threatened to do things to her. Besides, those charges were dropped and he's the one in the correctional facility now for making another one of his stupid decisions." Emma had filled Jay in on Jestine's brother's latest crime spree and his new fate earlier that day in hopes of lighting the mood at one point. And, for that moment, it truly had as they both laughed at how satisfying karma could be. "Don't you get it? Even then, it was all about Emma. It's always been all about her!"

Jay's mom shook her head. "I didn't-"

Jay cut her off. "You didn't what? Know?[!]" She nodded. "That's because you never gave me the chance!"

"You never gave either of us a chance," Emma added. "Yeah, Jay and I made some mistakes, but who hasn't?" She turned to Spike. "Mom, you of all people, should have been more understanding!"

The conversation had finally taken a toll on Spike's remorseful side and her tone started to reveal just how badly she was feeling. "I honestly thought it was best for you two to not be involved in each other's lives for a little while."

"I think we all did," Jay's mom agreed.

Jay exploded. "But, that's just it, Mom, you didn't think!"

"Jason?[!]" Jay's father reprimanded, in defense of his wife.

Jay heeded his father's warning to calm down considering the fact that they_ were_ still his parents, but the anger continued to seethe underneath his new, composed, tone. "Fine, but it's still true. Did any of you really spend more than one day considering the effects any of your decisions would have on Emma or me?" No one answered. "That's what I thought. Your intentions might have been for the best, but you broke us both in the process and kept us from the only person who could put the other back together. How does that help anything? I was completely striped of anything that was ever familiar to me, not to mention the girl I love."

With that, Emma rejoined the conversation. "Today was the first time I've cried in months, and I'm still nowhere near completely healed yet." She addressed her next question to absolutely anyone who would give her a response. "How could you not see how bad it was for me?"

Spike wiped a tear from her own cheek. "We did! We just- I just couldn't see past wanting to protect you from even more pain."

"And you thought that bringing Jay back would cause _more_ pain?" Emma gave Spike an '_Are you insane?_' kind of look.

"Yes, actually, I did," Spike answered honestly.

"We both did," Snake agreed.

Jay's mom turned to Jay. "And, we were just worried that bringing you back too soon to what was happening would do more harm than good to your emotional state."

"We didn't want to reverse the progress you made while at that school," Jay's father began to explain, "but now it seems that the school was reversing the good impact Emma was having on you."

Jay looked at Emma who lightly smiled back at him. "Yes, we're finally getting somewhere."

"So, where do we go from here?" Emma wondered. "I mean, I guess Jay and I can't stay mad at you all forever simply for not considering every side of the situation before taking such drastic actions," she turned to just her parents now, "but things are not completely cool between us yet."

Jay nodded and turned to his own parents. "That goes for me too."

Spike searched for confirmation amongst the other parents as she spoke again. "All any of us ever wanted was for you two to be happy and safe, but now that we understand what we did had the opposite effect, I think we are willing to try parenting over again…if you two are willing to let us back in."

Emma and Jay looked at each other.

"It's going to take a lot of work," Emma finally conceded, "and you have to let Jay and I use _each other_ to rebuild too."

Spike and Jay's mom both smiled hopefully and nodded their heads.

"Ok then," Jay affirmed, "we want to try to make things okay again, too."

Jay hugged Emma and his warmth restored her faith that things might actually go back to the way they were…someday. He let go and Emma opened her eyes. There was a silent recognition that she was not ready to kiss him again, yet. Her healing had only just begun, but he could wait. Then, Jay left with his parents. Emma gave her parents the same quick, tension filled, hug that she had given them many-a-time before, but this time it had a glimpse of compassion in it. Then she went to bed because the emotional roller coaster she had been on that day had drained her of energy, but before she drifted off to sleep, she breathed a sigh of relief.

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**Thanks for reading and reviewing! See you again soon! **


	61. Chapter 61

**Surprise, I am posting two chapters tonight! Thanks for still reading!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything having to do with lyrics used in this chapter.**

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Emma did not wake up until late the next day. It was about 12:30 in the afternoon when she finally decided to get out of bed. She took a quick shower and then turned on the radio while she continued to get ready. She was in her towel and brushing her teeth when _Broken _by Lindsey Haun came on. With a mouth full of toothpaste, she began to sing along:

_Wake up to a Sunny Day _

_Not a cloud up in the sky _

_And then it starts to rain_

(Emma spit out the toothpaste and kept humming as she rinsed out her mouth.)

_My defenses hit the ground_

_And they shatter all around_

(She went back to actually singing as she started to brush through her wet hair.)

_So open and exposed_

_But I find strength in the struggle_

_Face to face with my trouble_

(She turned the radio up really loud as she began to dry her hair and continued to sing, even louder this time.)

_When you're broken_

_In a million little pieces_

_And you're trying_

(Her hairbrush became a microphone as she belted out the next line.)

_But you can't hold on anymore_

(Then, she went back to brushing and drying her hair while singing/shouting.)

_Every teardrop falls down for a reason_

_So don't you stop believing in your self_

_When you're broken_

_Little girl don't be so blue_

_I know what you're going through_

_Don't let it beat you up_

_Hitting walls and getting scars_

_Only makes you who you are_

_Only makes you who you are_

_No matter how much your heart is aching_

_There is beauty in the breaking_

(When her hair was completely dry, she turned the hair dryer off and lowered the volume on the radio back down to a reasonable level. Her relation to this song and its lyrics made her go still for a moment as she sang her heart out to the rest of it.)

_When you're broken_

_In a million little pieces_

_And you're trying_

_But you can't hold on anymore_

_Every teardrop falls down for a reason_

_So don't you stop believing in your self_

_When you're broken_

_Better days are gonna find you once again_

_Every piece will find its place_

_When you're broken_

_When you're broken_

_When you're broken_

_In a million little pieces_

_And you're trying_

_But you can't hold on anymore_

_Every teardrop falls down for a reason_

_So don't you stop believing in your self_

_When you're broken_

_When you're broken_

_When you're broken_

As the song finished up, Emma went over to her dresser and mindlessly riffled through a few things while still humming the song even after the radio DJ had switched over to something else. Moments later, her cell phone rang and she turned the radio way down to answer it. She had not paid any attention to the ring tone or looked at the caller ID before she said, "Hello?"

"Hey, Beautiful."

That familiar voice made her heart flutter. She was so used to not ever being able to talk to this person on the phone that it really took her by surprise.

After a short pause as Emma waited for her breath to come back to her, she replied, "Hey handsome." Then, she continued to look through her clothes while cradling her phone between her cheek and shoulder.

Jay noticed the brighter tone in Emma's voice, but still felt the need to ask, "How are you feeling today?"

Emma had pulled out an all black outfit just like she had done every day for about four months and was about to put it on.

"You know what?" She smiled to herself. "For the first time in a very long time, I am actually feeling…okay." She put the black clothes back and pulled out a pair of jeans and a purple and gray striped sweater.

"I'll take, 'okay.' It's a good start." Jay smiled as well. "So, when can I see you?"

"How does now work for you?" Emma asked, not afraid to show how eager she was just to be near him again.

"Sounds good. You wanna get some lunch at the Dot?"

"Yeah, that would be great!"

They hung up as Jay headed straight over and Emma went back to getting ready.

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**More is coming right up! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	62. Chapter 62

Ten minutes later, Emma raced up the stairs from her room and ran to the front door. She yelled up the stairs to her parents' bedroom. "Bye Mom! I'm going out with Jay. I'll be back later."

Spike had started down the stairs just as the blur that was her daughter whizzed by. "Emma, wait! Where are you guys going?" Her tone was not demanding but instead genuinely curious.

Emma already had her hands on the door knob, and let out a deep sigh. "Just out, Mom."

Slightly annoyed, she let go of the door and turned around. "You said you were gonna back off a little."

"I know. I'm sorry." Spike put her hands up defensively. "Old habits are hard to break."

Emma shook her head sympathetically. "Well, Jay's waiting outside, so…"

Just then, Spike noticed something different about Emma and smiled. "Are you actually wearing something other than black?"

Emma was a little weirded out. "Umm…ye-ah."

"That's great! Why the sudden change?"

One word said it all. "Jay."

"Well, I'm glad he's having such a healthy affect on you."

"Yeah, me too." Emma desperately wanted to get to Jay. "So, I'll just see you later, okay?"

Spike got the picture. "Alright, bye honey."

Relieved, Emma pleasantly said goodbye to her mother, finally opened the front door, and walked outside. Jay was leaning up against his car and looking down. As soon as he heard Emma's front door shut, he popped his head up. They locked eyes as Emma walked toward Jay and he smiled at her. She smiled back, just not as big, but Jay did not notice that she was still holding back until what happened next…Jay leaned in to kiss Emma, but she pulled back and turned her head away.

Jay brushed the back of his hand across Emma's cheek and tucked her hair behind her ear so that he could see her eyes. "Hey," he began as he tried to get her to look up at him, "what's the matter beautiful?"

Emma looked up at Jay. "I don't know…It just still feels weird…being close with you. I'm so used to not having you here. I don't really know how this is supposed to go. I mean, the last time we were truly happy together, we were ripped apart and then the whole miscarriage happened. I'm just a little scared to get close to you again. I'm tired of getting hurt. Not by you, specifically, but just in general. I mean, I know you've been waiting all this time to pick up right where we left off. I'm just not sure I can do that…Are you mad? I know this isn't what you expected to come back to."

Jay's eyes were gentle and loving. "Of course I'm not mad. I may not know exactly what you are going through, but I was separated from someone too. I can help you through this, if you just give me a chance. You can't live in fear forever. I won't promise that you will never get hurt again because life happens, but I guarantee that I will always be here for you no matter what else goes down."

Emma looked down again. "But, I just-"

"Do you trust me?" Jay asked, cutting Emma off.

She looked straight into his passionate blue eyes. "Of course I do."

Jay put his hands on Emma's arms. "Then let me in…all the way. I want to take care of you, but you have to help me, Em. Just let me love you."

Emma pulled her arms free and stepped back. Jay's affection still made her weary. She definitely did not ever want to relive the last seven months of pain.

Jay was clearly hurt by Emma's actions. "You do love me, don't you?"

She gave him a look that said, 'I can't believe you just asked me that.' "You know I do, I'm just afraid to say the words out loud. I've only just started to deal with the past seven months and you're the first person I've let see this side of me. What if you don't love who I've become?" Her eyes began to water.

Jay moved closer to Emma again and put his hands on the sides of her face. "Baby, that's just not possible. I love you and nothing you could ever say or do is ever gonna change that." He moved his hands to her shoulders.

Emma took a step closer to Jay and buried her head into his chest. Jay gently stroked her beautiful locks of blonde and black hair as she wrapped her arms around him and held him like she never wanted to let go.

"It takes time, I know, but things _are_ going to get easier." Jay spoke softly into Emma's ear. "Just please don't push me away, because I need you too."

They held each other tightly, each giving the other a deep and sincere comfort of which they had been missing for oh so long.

Emma eventually, yet definitely regrettably, loosened her grip and stepped back to look at Jay. She smiled and then playfully rolled her eyes. "Jeez Hogart, are we gonna stand here all day?[!] I'm starving!" She was slowly easing back into a comfortable rhythm with Jay.

"You're right," he smirked, happy to hear her joke with him again, "I don't know what I was thinking. Let's get out of here!"

They let go of each other, Jay walked to his side of the car, and they both got in. Emma leaned over and gave Jay a soft peck on the cheek, with her lips. He smiled, then, drove off toward the Dot…

…What neither of them knew was that Spike had watched their whole interaction from the window and was now smiling too as she watched the car disappear from sight. She didn't hear anything that was said but she was impressed by how Jay seemed to calm Emma and noticed that he was the first person to get her daughter to smile in months. In that moment, Spike finally realized how much damage she and the other parents had really done and vowed never to put either of them through anything like that ever again.

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**More is coming as soon as I can finish editing it! Thanks for reading and reviewing; it really does make my day!**


	63. Chapter 63

Emma and Jay walked into the Dot.

"Jay, man, you're back!" Spinner walked over to Jay and Emma and did the whole manly handshake/quick hug thing with Jay.

"Yeah, just got in yesterday."

"That's great! Where you been?" Spinner wondered.

Jay rolled his eyes. "Oregon."

Spinner's own eyes widened. "Dude!"

"I know…but I'm back now and I'm with my girl, so as far as I'm concerned, life is good." Jay smiled at Emma, whose hand squeezed his, as she smiled back.

Spinner suddenly switched his focus to Emma with worried thoughts but a pleased expression.

"It's good to see smiling again Em…" Spinner began, but then nervously looked at Jay because he thought he had just said too much. "I mean, 'cause you know, she was so upset after you left and-"

"Spin!" Emma jumped in to save Spinner's uncomfortable ramblings. "It's okay, he knows."

Spinner turned to Jay with his sympathy face. "Aw, man, I'm sorry. Really…for both of you." He looked from Jay to Emma.

Emma looked down as sadness washed over her once again.

"But hey, Emma and I have each other again so we are going to be fine." Jay lifted Emma's chin up and looked into her eyes. "Just fine."

Emma gave Jay a small smile and nodded.

Spinner snapped out of his sympathetic state. "Yeah. Right. So, what can a get you guys?" He gestured for them to choose a table and sit down.

A few minutes later, Jay and Emma had their food and were eating and talking.

"So, all we've done is talk about me." Emma observed. "I want to know what your past seven months were like."

"You really want to know?" Jay was hesitant to divulge anything for fear that it would only add to the darkness of the memories of that time away from each other.

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't." Emma insisted.

"They were complete hell. That school was like a prison. And, I just missed you so much."

"Any pretty girls there?" Emma was nervous about what Jay's answer might be, but knew the question had to be asked for her own peace of mind.

Jay laughed at the thought of being interested in anyone other than Emma. "Honestly, I didn't notice. I spent every day wishing I was with you."

"Good answer." Emma smiled on the inside.

"What about you? Any guys I need to beat up?"

"There were a few jerks who attempted to take advantage of my vulnerability, but once they would find out that I couldn't be less interested, they backed off. Most guys though, were just plain scared by how depressed I became."

"I'm not scared."

Emma smirked. "Smooth. Did you get that line from a movie or something?"

"Hey, I have my moments." Jay defended.

"Yeah, moments when you're completely corny." Emma's defenses were still too high to take Jay's swoon worthy words at face value.

"Oh yeah?" Jay narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah. And, don't think I didn't notice how you not-so-subtly turned the topic of conversation back to me once again!" Emma challenged.

Jay cocked an eyebrow and then began to tickle Emma.

Emma screamed/laughed, "No! Stop!"

"Not until you admit that you love my corniness!"

Emma was out of breath from laughing so much. "Okay…you're right!...I do!"

Jay instantly stopped. "Close enough…for now. But, I'm gonna get you to say the words eventually."

Finally able to breathe again, Emma simply replied, "I'm sure you will."

Satisfied for the time being, Jay changed the subject. "So, are we done here?"

"Yep." Emma's grudge against the world lessened a little that day as she took some comfort in the fact that Jay really was back in her life and was bringing the old Emma back out of her piece by tiny piece.

Jay paid the bill and left Spinner a big tip. Emma and Jay walked out of the Dot with their arms around each other.

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**Sorry it is a little short. I hope to update again very soon! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	64. Chapter 64

That following Monday morning was Jay's first day back at Degrassi. No one knew he was back yet except for Spinner and Jay's and Emma's parents. Emma had not even told Manny. She was just too busy spending every waking minute with Jay. But now, Jay and Emma were turning heads from all directions as they walked up the stairs and into the school with their arms around each other. Jay, however, soon noticed Emma acting a little insecure about all the eyes that were on them.

"You look beautiful." Jay whispered into Emma's ear.

Emma looked at Jay and breathed out, relaxing a bit more. "Thanks."

Emma gave Jay a quick peck on the lips as Manny came up to them.

"Emma?" Manny interrupted, highly confused.

Emma pulled away, revealing Jay in plain sight to Manny. She stopped walking toward the couple and stepped back in shock.

"Jay?[!] Emma, why didn't you tell me he was back?[!]"

Emma was now holding Jay's hand as she stood beside him. "Well…he just showed up, out of nowhere, on Friday and I just wanted some time alone with him before telling anyone else."

The bell rang, signaling the first class of the day.

"Oh yay, time for class at good ole Degrassi again." Jay said sarcastically.

Emma elbowed Jay, playfully. "Oh, you know you love it here."

"Hardly," Jay huffed. "But, I know I love you." He paused, hopefully, but then after little more than a smile in response, he gave Emma a quick kiss and headed off to class.

Emma turned to Manny, who was still in shock, as they walked to their class together. The way Manny was looking at her started to creep Emma out. "What?"

Manny shuddered out of her daze. "Well, not only are you not wearing all black today, but Em…you were just kissing Jay!"

They both squealed as they entered the classroom. Later, during the class they had a little bit of independent study time. Emma and Manny were talking quietly to each other.

"I'm so happy for you, Em. I know I said before that it was probably better for Jay to not be in your life, but I was only trying to help you feel better. I know that you two are better together…Oh, no! Does he know about the-"

Emma's mood plummeted. "Yeah, I told him."

"How did he take it?" Manny scrunched up her face in anticipation.

"It was a bit of a shock, but he was more upset with his parents, than anything, for not telling him first."

"Yeah," Manny nodded, "I guess he would be…And then there's you! It seems like you did a complete 1-80 in one weekend!"

"Well, not completely but, since Jay's been back, I _have_ finally started to heal."

"That's great! I'm so glad…What about your parents? How did they react to Jay being back?" Manny was starting to give Emma whiplash with all of her rapid subject changes.

"Surprisingly well, actually. Jay and I had a long talk with all four of our parents and they finally realized the damage they caused and have promised to back off for a while."

Class ended with the sound of another bell and everyone emptied into the halls. Emma knew that Jay's next class was at the other end of the school so she would probably not see him again until lunch. She and Manny were walking to their next class when Manny ran off to tell everyone she knew about Emma and Jay. Emma turned the corner, by herself, shaking her head. She entered a pretty empty hallway as a random guy, who had tried to make some advances on her a few times before, after learning that Jay was out of the picture, was now approaching her.

"Hi there, Emma."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I already told you, I'm not interested."

The guy roughly grabbed Emma's arm. "Your body's been telling me a different story. You sure have been showing a lot of it lately."

Emma tried to twist her arm out of the guy's grasp but had no luck. "What I wear is a reflection of my emotions not an invitation," she spat matter-of-factly, even though she was frightened. "So, back off!"

"Come on," the guy whined as he pressed Emma against the wall behind her.

Emma whimpered, losing confidence that she could talk her way out of this.

"Relax." He tugged on Emma's blouse revealing her bare shoulder. "I just wanna have a little fun."

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Jay slapped his hands down on the guy's shoulders. "I believe she said 'back off!'" He threw the guy against the lockers next to Emma.

The guy was thrown back so fast that he did not even have time to register who did it. "What the-," he started but then looked up. "Oh, Jay! I, uh, didn't know you were back," he said while nervously laughing.

"Yeah well, if this is how you treat women when their boyfriends aren't around, I suggest you do a serious personality check before I do it for you." Jay got right in the guy's face. "You hear me?"

"Loud and clear, man." Emma could not believe how small the guy looked now in Jay's strong arms. "Dude, I'm sorry."

Jay let the guy go. "Get out of my sight, and don't you _ever_ touch Emma again!" His voiced boomed down the empty hall.

The guy put his hands up defensively. "Hey, you got it!"

Jay watched him run off and then turned to Emma. "Are you okay?"

Emma nodded as she readjusted her blouse to cover herself up. "I am now…My hero," she mocked. Seeing that side of Jay again made her feel uneasy, but she was still grateful to be rescued from a scary situation. She put her arms around Jay's neck and he put his hands on her waist.

Jay clued into Emma's tone. "I'm sorry about all of that."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I'm fine." Once again she deflected attention away from her own feelings. "What are you doing on this side of the school right now, anyway?"

Jay pulled Emma closer to him. "I changed my schedule around so I could have a few classes with you."

"Really?" Emma smiled excitedly in spite of her desire to shut off her emotions.

"Really. So…shall we?" Jay pulled Emma's arms off of his neck, dropped them, and reached out a hand in front of him, gesturing down the hall.

Emma took his hand in hers. "We shall."

They walked to their next class, which they had together.

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**Thanks for waiting for this chapter! Another one will be up within a day or two for sure! As always, reviews would mean the world to me. I hope you are still enjoying and I will update again very soon!**


	65. Chapter 65

By the end of the day, news of Jay's return had spread throughout most of the school, and his reception by most had surprised Emma in a good way. After months of believing that absolutely everyone was against her and Jay, it was nice to see teachers and friends happy to have him back.

Jay and Emma had different last classes, so they met back up after the final bell, at Emma's locker.

"Hey beautiful," Jay greeted as he approached Emma from behind.

Emma smiled, closed her locker, and turned around. "Hey yourself, Stud."

Jay raised an eyebrow at her. "Someone's in a good mood."

"Yeah, well, this guy that I am like completely crazy about has been incredibly sweet today."

"Oh, really?" He rested his arm across Emma's shoulders as they started walking toward the exit. "Anyone I know?"

Emma continued to smile as she pretended to think about it. "You know, you just might."

"Yeah?"

Emma turned her head towards Jay as they were still walking and gave him a quick kiss. "If I haven't said it yet, thanks for what you did earlier."

Jay shrugged. "No sweat." There was a long pause and then… "So, there's this party this weekend."

Emma's smile vanished.

"Towerz is throwing it as sort of like a welcome back thing for me…" Jay noticed Emma's new emotionless face. "But, I completely understand if you don't want to go. We could just hang out at your place or whatever."

"No, you can't not go." Emma's tone was insistent. "You're the guest of honor."

"But, I don't want to go, if you're not gonna be there."

"And, who said I wasn't going?"

Jay's confusion was visible. "But, I thought-"

"You haven't given me the chance to answer yet," Emma continued with a sideways glance.

"So you do want to go?" Jay narrowed his eyes as he tried to figure out his cryptic girlfriend.

"Honestly?"

Jay nodded. "If you don't mind," he teased.

"Well, I want to go, really I do. I just don't know if I can handle a party right now. I haven't been feeling very social for a while now."

"I know you can handle anything." Jay ran a gentle hand down Emma's cheek. "But, if it's just too much too soon, then we don't have to go."

"No, you've already done so much for me." Emma could not bring herself to be selfish about this after Jay had been so amazing since the very moment he had returned. Keeping him from this party just did not seem fair. "I want to try…for you."

"But, Em, I don't want-"

"I seem to recall you asking me what _I_ wanted to do and this is it." Emma forced herself to say the words. "I want to go to this party with you."

"Are you sure?"

Emma smirked. "You never could take a simple 'yes' for an answer, could you?"

"I guess not." Jay cutely shrugged his shoulders and smirked back. "I just want you to want this too. Don't do it just to make me happy."

"I'm not. It'll be fun and I'll be with you, so I know I'll be okay."

"I promise," Jay's intense gaze chipped away another layer of Emma's defensive shield, "you will."

"Right then, I say we should go," Emma proclaimed.

"It'll be great, you'll see." Jay knew that it would be good for Emma to go out and be around people more. He was also planning a small surprise for Emma at the party, and smiled as he thought about it.

Emma was still unsure of her decision but smiled for Jay's sake. As they both climbed into Jay's car, Emma gave her best effort to sound convincing. "I don't doubt it…"

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**Thanks for reading! More to come soon! I am glad to see that people are still reading this. Thanks for the recent reviews. They make me so happy! See you again soon!**


	66. Chapter 66

**I know it has been forever, but here I finally am with more! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any rights pertaining to the lyrics used in this chapter...**

**Please, enjoy!**

* * *

The rest of the week went pretty well for Emma and Jay at school. Emma stayed close to Jay whenever possible and even opened up a little bit more to him but only him. She was still keeping her friends and family at arms' length away and sympathetic acquaintances and/or strangers were still her least favorite people. Friday came a little too quickly for Emma. She just did not know how she would react at this party, but she put on a happy face for Jay and rode off with him that night to Towerz's place.

In the car, Emma was looking out the window.

"Are you doing okay tonight, beautiful?" Jay glanced at his silent and seemingly distant girlfriend.

"Sure. Why?" Emma, yet again, avoided an honest answer.

"I don't know. You just seem quieter than usual."

Feeling a bit insulted, she crossed her arms in front of her. "Umm, I don't really know how I should take that."

"I didn't mean anything by it," Jay backpedaled. "I'm just worried about you."

"Well, don't be. Tonight is about you, so let's just take the focus off of me for once, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." The truth was that there was no way Jay was going to go an entire evening without doting on Emma just a little. Nevertheless, he simply smiled at her and at least let her think that she was getting her way, as they pulled up to their destination.

Emma got out of the car, took a deep breath, and thought to herself, '_I can do this_.'

Before getting out of the car, Jay grabbed something from his glove box and shoved it in a pocket on the inside of his jacket. He then joined Emma on the street and put his arm around her as they walked up to the front door.

Emma's curiosity was piqued. "What was that about, back there?"

With a mischievous grin, Jay replied, "Nothing."

Emma was still suspicious but decided to just shrug it off. "O-kay, whatever."

As they walked inside, Towerz spotted them instantly. "Alright, it's the man of the hour! I'm glad you came, man."

Jay shook Towerz's hand. "Thanks for throwing this for me, man."

"Hey, any excuse for a party."

Jay and Towerz laughed and chatted for a few more minutes. Emma was already starting to get uncomfortable. She took Jay's arm off of her shoulder so that she could just hold his hand and not be so close. Jay felt this and stopped in mid-sentence with Towerz.

Jay whispered into Emma's ear. "I love you."

Emma smiled. Of course, she loved him too, but saying it back was still something she was not quite ready for. Something inside of her just would not let her open up to the possibility of pain again.

Towerz witnessed their cute little exchanged and decided to finally acknowledge Emma. "Oh, Emma, I'm sorry 'bout the-"

Saving Emma from an awkward moment, Jay jumped in. "Hey! Thanks for the party, man! Em, let's dance!"

Emma nodded in reply. Before Jay left Towerz for the 'dance floor' with Emma, he whispered something in Towerz's ear.

Towerz nodded. "Yeah, I took care of it. Whenever you're ready, okay?"

"Thanks, man." Jay slyly shook Towerz's hand again and then walked over to the rest of the people dancing, with Emma…

As the party went on, Emma was actually having fun for once in a very long time. Her boyfriend was remaining substance-free for her. He was also giving her a lot of attention and the best part, for her, was that others weren't. She barely knew most of the people there and no one seemed to have much of an interest in expressing their sympathy or even getting to know her at all. She was finally in a world she could handle. After a little while longer, Jay said he had to go do something and left Emma for a few minutes. When Jay returned to Emma, she was talking to a few girls who had absolutely no idea who she was, and that's how she liked it. They were just talking about their outfits.

"Yeah," Emma was saying, "I got it at that new vintage boutique on Maple Street."

"Oh yeah, I love that place!" cooed one of the other girls.

Jay came up behind Emma and put his hands on her shoulders. "Ladies, sorry to interrupt, but I need to steal Emma away for a sec."

Emma raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What? Why?"

"Just…trust me." Jay flashed his world class smirk and Emma melted right before his eyes.

"It was nice talking to you girls," Emma acknowledged and the girls politely nodded back.

Jay led Emma down the hall and into a room that appeared to be some sort of small library or den.

"Jay, what's going on? What are we doing in here?"

"You'll see." Jay walked over to the CD player that Towerz had put in the room for him and pulled out what he had hidden in his jacket earlier. It was a CD with one of Emma's favorite songs, _The Right Kind of Wrong_ by LeAnn Rimes, on it.

Emma was thoroughly confused as to what was happening. "Jay?"

"Emma Nelson-Simpson, may I have this dance?" He pressed play and held out his hand for Emma's.

Emma heard the intro and couldn't believe it. "How did you-?"

"Manny told me you liked this song."

Emma smiled. "I do…But, what about the party?"

"We'll be right back. They won't even miss us. I just wanted to do something special for you to thank you for coming out with me tonight. I know you didn't really want to be here."

Emma wanted to tell him that this was the first crowd she had felt comfortable with, in months.

"Well, actually, I…"

"It's okay. Just watching you try has meant a lot."

Rather than darken the moment with the revelation of how much her emotional pain really had changed her, Emma decided to drop the subject. "Do you even know how to dance…I mean, really, dance?"

"Prepare to be amazed. Manny helped me with that, too."

Emma shook her head. "You're unbelievable."

"I know…So, shall we?…"

"Well, I guess, since you did go to all of this trouble." Emma smiled and took Jay's hand.

Jay started the song over again and pulled Emma close to him. "Why do you like this song, anyway?"

"Because, it's about us…"

The lyrics started:

_I know all about,  
Yea about your reputation  
And now it's bound to be a heartbreak situation  
But I can't help it if I'm helpless  
Every time that I'm where you are  
You walk in and my strength walks out the door  
Say my name and I can't fight it any more  
Oh I know, I should go  
But I need your touch just too damn much  
Loving you, That isn't really something I should do  
I shouldn't wanna spend my time with you ya  
Well I should try to be strong  
But baby you're the right kind of wrong  
Ya, baby you're the right kind of wrong_

_It might be a mistake_  
_A mistake I'm makin'_  
_But what your giving I am happy to be taking_  
_Cause no one's ever made me feel_  
_The way I feel when I'm in your arms_

_They say your somethin' I should do without_  
_They don't know what goes on_  
_When the lights go out_  
_There's no way to explain_  
_All the pleasure is worth all the pain_  
_Loving you, That isn't really something I should do ya-hey_  
_I shouldn't wanna spend my time with you ya_  
_Well I should try to be strong_  
_But baby you're the right kind of wrong_  
_Ya, baby you're the right kind of wrong_

_I should try to run but I just can't seem to_  
_'Cause every time I run you're the one I run to_  
_Can't do without what you do to me,_  
_I don't care if I'm in too deep yeah_

_I know all about,_  
_Yea about your reputation_  
_And now it's bound to be a heartbreak situation_  
_But I can't help it if I'm helpless_  
_Every time that I'm where you are_

_You walk in and my strength walks out the door_  
_Say my name and I can't fight it any more_  
_Oh I know, I should go_  
_But I need your touch just too damn much_  
_Hey-yeah_  
_Loving you, yeah, isn't really something I should do_  
_I shouldn't wanna spend my time with you ya_  
_Well I should try to be strong, I should try to be strong_  
_But baby you're the right kind of wrong (right kind of wrong)_  
_Baby you're the right kind of wrong_  
_Baby you're the right kind of wrong_

_Yeah baby you're the right kind of wrong_

As the song faded out, Emma raised an eyebrow. "Impressive."

Jay exuded self-pride. "I try."

"You never stop surprising me, do you?"

"Now, what would be the fun in that?"

They shared a passionate kiss and then rejoined the party. Emma continued to have a good time with Jay and was truly happier than she had been in a long time but still felt that she could not give her whole heart to Jay…at least, not yet.

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**There is more to come soon, so please stay tuned, my friends!**


	67. Chapter 67

Monday at school, Emma skipped her way up to Manny at their lockers. "Hey! How's my bestest friend in the whole wide world doing today?"

Manny was taken aback by Emma's apparent new-found-perkiness. "Okay, what did you do with Emma Nelson?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Cute."

"Oh, there she is," Manny sarcastically retorted. "I mean, don't get me wrong, it's great to see you so…chipper, but I was just getting used to the new normal with you. What's with the happy?"

"I just have the greatest best friend a girl could ever have."

"Okay, yes, but what gives, Em?"

Emma just laughed at her bewildered friend. "You helped Jay give me one of the best surprises of my life Friday night!"

Manny shrugged off Emma's praise like it was no big deal. "I just told him some of your favorite songs and gave him a few dance lessons. He came up with the idea all on his own."

Emma shook her head. "But, you helped him make me the happiest I have been in a long time, so thank you."

Manny smiled. "Anything for my, what…bestest friend in the whole wide world?"

They both laughed as Jay came up to them.

"Ah, talking about _me_ again?" Jay put his arms around Emma's waist from behind her.

Emma rested her head back and looked up at Jay. "May-be."

"All good stuff, right?" He craned his neck down to give her a sweet peck on the left temple of her forehead.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Emma wiggled her eyebrows up and down, teasingly.

"Yeah, I would." Jay proceeded to tickle Emma, rendering her unable to speak. "Come on Manny, what did she say about me?"

Between fits of uncontrollable laughter, Emma managed to shout, "Nothing!"

Jay continued to tickle Emma as he tried to work over her best friend. "Come on, Manny. You can tell me. We're cool now, right?"

Manny smiled at how cute they were being. "Honestly, she was just telling me how amazing she thought you were."

Jay stopped tickling Emma and she gasped for air before laughing again at Jay and his paranoia. "Oh, well then…" He turned Emma around to face him and kissed her, hard.

Manny decided to give them some time alone. "Um, I'll just see you guys later, okay?"

Emma pulled away from Jay's lips only to say, "K, bye Man-" She did not even finish her sentence before touching her lips to Jay's again.

After a few more minutes of kissing, they mutually pulled apart.

Jay spoke first. "So…my parents are going to be out of town on business this weekend."

"Aww, I'm sorry. I know how much you wish they would stop going away all the time."

"Yeah, but I'm thinking that this time could be good for us." Jay's eyes smoldered. "A house all to ourselves, for a whole weekend…"

"Hmm, that does sound good." For a moment, Emma forgot to be reserved, and she liked how it felt.

Jay was half serious, half joking. "Of course we would only spend the days together and you would go home at a respectable hour in the evenings."

Emma smiled and agreed with the same kind of tone. "Oh, of course."

"Good, so it's settled. My place, this weekend?"

"Yep." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and headed off in the direction of her class as Jay did the same, going the other way.

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**Short but sweet. More is coming soon! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	68. Chapter 68

**One of my favorite chapters to write! I hope you like it!**

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The week flew by and before they knew it, it was the weekend again. Emma told her parents she was going over to spend the day at Jay's. They were fully aware of the lack of parental supervision because the four parents now talked to each other on an almost daily basis, but decided to trust Emma and let her go, as long as she was back by at least 11pm. Emma was so happy to have even that much freedom that she did not protest the curfew and, instead, promised to be home by then. And, now, Jay and Emma had spent almost the whole day together watching movies and talking but still not about what was bothering Emma the most. It was about eight o'clock at night and they were on the couch in each other's arms as yet another movie was ending. Emma suddenly sat up, put her arms around Jay's neck and leaned closer to him. Jay closed his eyes, waiting for a kiss, but just as their lips were about to touch, Emma pulled Jay's hat off of his head and jumped off the couch, giggling.

Jay stayed put, on the couch, feeling unthreatened. "Hey, give that back!"

"You have to catch me first!" Emma taunted.

Jay jumped up as Emma started to run around the living room laughing, but Jay was faster than her and quickly caught up to her. He grabbed her waist from behind.

"No! You can't have it!" Emma shouted as she stretched her arm out as far away from her body as possible.

"Oh, yeah?" Jay challenged, as he twisted her around to face him and pulled her against his body.

Emma, still laughing until this point, took in a huge gasp of air as Jay's intense glare captivated her. The hat fell to the ground as both of them forgot all about it and ended up in a passionate lip lock. They made their way back to the couch, still kissing, and sat down on it with Emma up against the armrest and Jay right next to her. Jay put a hand on Emma's belt and when she didn't try to stop him, he continued.

Emma was ready. She wanted him in every sense of the word and wanted him to know her true feelings once again. "Jay, I…" She began, but then a horrific memory stopped her in her tracks.

*Flashback*

"I'm sorry," came the doctor's voice, thick with insufferable sympathy. "Your baby's gone."

*End of Flashback*

Emma blinked hard. "I…have to go." She pushed Jay off of her and stood up, refastening her belt.

Jay was in shock. "What? Why? It's still early."

"I know, I…I just can't be here right now." She fought back the tears that were threatening to come out.

Despite her best efforts, Jay saw her eyes start to well. "Emma?"

Emma looked away because she couldn't stand to see the hurt and confusion in Jay's eyes any longer. She walked over and grabbed her coat from the closet by the door.

"At least let me drive you home." Jay stood up but didn't dare get too close for fear of what that might do to her already unstable emotional state.

Emma jumped back anyway. "No!…I mean, no, it's okay. I can walk." She put on the biggest lie of a smile that Jay had ever seen on her and ran out the front door.

Jay waited a few seconds before going after her. Emma had only run a few steps down the sidewalk before she had tripped over her own feet and went plummeting down to the ground. Jay saw her and rushed over. She was just sitting there with her hands over her face as the tears flowed freely now. Jay knelt down in front of her but didn't say a word as he put a comforting hand on each of her knees. As Emma picked her head up, Jay's eyes were there waiting to meet hers, but she could barely see through her blurry, tear-filled ones.

Between sobs, Emma finally spoke again. "Why did this happen?[!]"

Jay did not quite know what she meant and decided to stay quiet and wait for her to continue.

"The day I lost my…_our_ baby was the worst day of my life!" Emma sniffled. "What did I do to deserve all of this pain?[!]"

Almost in tears himself, Jay answered softly. "Nothing. You didn't do anything!"

"Then why?[!] Why did it happen?[!]"

Tormented by Emma's distress, Jay wasn't sure what to say next. "…" He was cautiously grateful when Emma just started again, not waiting for him to answer.

"It hurts so much that it's like I can't breathe sometimes, and I couldn't talk to anyone about it. No one could possibly understand…no one but you. How could they keep you from me when I needed you the most?"

"It makes me angry too." Jay inched a bit closer to Emma. "But, I'm here now. Talk to me."

"…There's not much to say. I'm not even really sure how it happened. I was at the hospital for a regular check up, but that time they couldn't find the baby's heartbeat." She lost it again for a few seconds and then continued. "They decided it was due to excessive stress and some kind of hormone imbalance thing." She looked into Jay's eyes. "But, I promise, I was being so careful, taking all of the prenatal vitamins and eating all of the right things."

"I don't doubt that you were. Stuff just happens sometimes and no one knows why," Jay reasoned. "At least you weren't in any physical pain, right?"

"They gave me an anesthetic for all of the major stuff, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway. This is worse than any physical pain could ever be." The tears came again. "How could I not know something was wrong?[!] I probably would've been a terrible mother."

"No, you are going to be a great mom someday. I see how you are with Jack. It just wasn't meant to happen for us, yet."

Jay sat all the way down and gently guided Emma's head to his lap. He held her as she let it all out like never before.

…Later, Emma went back inside Jay's house to clean up a little and then Jay drove her home. He walked her to her door where Spike came out and greeted them.

"Hi, honey." Spike was oblivious and cheery. "How was your night?"

"Not great," Emma answered honestly.

Jay jumped in to ease her mother's mind. "But, we're making progress, right Em?"

Emma nodded and gave a small smile. "Yeah. Right."

"Well, that's definitely something." Spike was grateful to Jay for his obvious part in slowly returning her daughter to some semblance of normalcy. "I'll just give you two a minute."

"Thanks, mom."

Spike went back inside and shut the door behind her.

Jay put his hand on Emma's arm comfortingly. "I hope you know that none of what happened is your fault."

She nodded once. "It's just that sometimes, I wonder if I could have done something differently, like gotten more tests done earlier or tried harder to find you."

"There's nothing you could have done that wouldn't have just caused more stress.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just wish-"

Jay put Emma's face between his hands. "Hey, look at me."

Emma looked right into his glistening blue eyes.

Jay's words were kind but firm. "You gotta stop wishing about things that have already happened and start focusing on what's happening now."

Emma nodded again and looked down.

Jay bent down and caught Emma's eyes with his again. "I love you, beautiful, and I need you here, not lost in the past."

There were so many things Emma wanted to say but all that came out was…"Okay." She hugged him and then went inside.

Jay went back home and Emma went straight down to her room. With Jay on Emma's mind, and the relief of finally sharing her grief with someone else, she slept better that night than she had in almost eight months. Knowing that the father of the baby she lost did not blame her for what happened, helped her to begin to forgive herself. It was something she never could have done on her own.

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**There is more to come very soon! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	69. Chapter 69

It has been a few weeks since Emma finally told Jay everything she had been keeping bottled up and their bond has only become stronger because of it. Jay has also been helping her to let her other friends and family back into her life. He was afraid that she might be growing a little too dependent on him, not that he minded her leaning on him, but he wanted her to start getting her life back. He has been encouraging her to spend more time with her friends and, together, Jay and Emma have been working on trying to forgive their parents. The progress on that one has been slow-going, but they are working through it, side by side.

One Friday, at school, they had a half day because of some kind of teacher workshop thing, so the last bell had just rung but it was still early in the afternoon. Jay's grandmother was in the hospital and his parents had left early that morning to go visit her. Jay was leaving after school to meet up with them. The drive is about three hours and Jay was planning on staying there with his family until Sunday night. So, Jay and Emma were saying goodbye at her locker.

Jay tucked some hair behind Emma's ear. "Are you sure you're okay with me going away for a few days?"

"For the hundredth time, yes!" Emma rolled her eyes. "Contrary to popular belief, I _can_ exist without you." But, the truth was that she did not know if she truly believed that herself. They had not really tested it since Jay had been back, but, nevertheless, she sounded convincing enough.

Jay smirked. "Well, fine then, maybe I'll just go away more often."

"Don't you dare." Emma felt like someone or something had knocked the wind out of her.

"Uh-huh, I thought so." Jay put his hands on Emma's forearms. "Look, I don't have to go."

"Yes, you do," Emma insisted. "Go, be with your grandmother. I'll be fine."

"You're sure?"

Emma just gave him a '_What do you think?_' kind of look.

"Okay, I'm going!" He kissed her on the top of her head. "I love you and I'll see you in a couple of days, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Emma already felt the ache in her heart of missing him, but put on a brave face.

Jay waited a few seconds for something more out of her but, once again, that was all she could give him in response, so he simply smiled and left. "Bye, beautiful."

…As Jay left the school, Manny was coming down the hall with Darcy and Jestine by her side.

"Hey, Em!" Manny greeted. "Where's Jay going?"

"His grandmother's sick, so he's going out of town for the weekend to visit her." Depression was already starting to set in.

"Oh my gosh!" Darcy chimed in, excitedly, completely missing Emma's current mood. "We should totally have a girls' weekend. Just the four of us!"

"Yeah," Manny agreed, "that sounds like a blast!"

Emma wasn't so sure. "I don't know, you guys."

"Oh come on, it'll be fun." Darcy playfully nudged Emma's shoulder with her own, eliciting half of a smile from her friend. "We could have a sleepover tomorrow at my place! What do you say?"

The three girls looked at Emma with pleading expressions.

"Emma, please come hang out with us." Jestine pouted her bottom lip out as she begged.

"Oh, okay," Emma conceded. "I'll see you guys at Darcy's tomorrow."

The other three squealed and then all four of the girls broke into a giggling fit.

"Awesome! Until tomorrow then," Darcy confirmed.

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**More is coming very soon! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Preview: A snowstorm rolls in during the girls' sleepover bringing a sharp turn of events with it...**


	70. Chapter 70

Saturday afternoon, Darcy, Emma, Manny, and Jestine congregated at Darcy's house. They did the whole facials and painting each other's fingernails thing and then gossiped about celebrities for a while. It was just starting to get dark outside and it was snowing lightly. The girls were on the couch eating popcorn and watching the movie, _Scream, _with the lights off, when there was a knock at the door. The four of them screamed in unison. Darcy's parents were chaperoning a ski trip with her younger sister, Clare's, class for the weekend, so she didn't know who would possibly be at the door. She grabbed an umbrella and cautiously walked to the door with the other girls trailing close behind.

Darcy readied the umbrella over her shoulder. "Who is it?"

"Darcy, it's me. Let me in!"

Darcy turned back to the girls. "It's Spinner." She lowered the umbrella.

All of them let out a sigh of relief. Darcy turned the lights on and opened the door.

Spinner greeted Darcy through chattering teeth. "H-ey, D-darc."

Darcy moved aside so that he could come in from the cold. It was snowing harder now. Spinner kissed Darcy with half frozen lips and then his eyes went to the umbrella she was still holding.

"An umbrella?" he teased. "Come on, Darcy, what did you really think you were gonna do with that? Protect me from the rain to death?"

Darcy put the umbrella down and rolled her eyes. "What are you doing here? I told you this was a girls only thing."

"I know." Spinner moved from the entryway and into the living room, where he accidentally crushed a few pieces of spilled popcorn beneath his shoes. "I just came to make sure you ladies were alright."

"Yeah, we're fine." Darcy shrugged. "Why?"

Spinner furrowed his brow. "You mean, you haven't heard?"

Manny butted in. "Heard what?"

"It's all over the news," Spinner explained. "There's a huge snowstorm heading in this direction."

Darcy turned the movie off and turned the channel to the local news. They were showing footage of the heavy snowfall that was occurring in the area and the weather team was reporting that they had already begun to shut down some of the highways and less traveled back-roads as well.

"Spinner, you should stay here," Darcy insisted. "It's too dangerous to be driving around out there right now."

"Yeah, thank goodness Jay isn't coming back until tomorrow," Emma breathed out in relief.

"But I…" Spinner had just remembered something, but he was conflicted about what to do with the information he had. "Uh, Darcy can I talk to you for a second…alone?"

"Okay." Darcy nodded to the girls and they all winked back at her.

Spinner and Darcy went into the kitchen and the other three kept themselves glued to the news.

Deep in conversation in the kitchen, Darcy was shocked by what Spinner had to say. "…You have to tell her!" Darcy commanded in a harsh, yet hushed, tone.

"But, it's supposed to be a surprise," Spinner argued back.

"But, he could be in danger. Emma needs to know!" Darcy said that last part a little too loud and Manny, Jestine, and Emma heard her from the living room.

Curious but not alarmed yet, Emma yelled to the kitchen. "I need to know what?"

Darcy and Spinner came out of the kitchen and rejoined the others, only this time they both carried a worried expression with them.

"Go ahead Spinner, tell her," Darcy coaxed.

Emma looked at Spinner. "Tell me what? You guys are acting really weird."

"Um, well, it's just that…" Spinner began, not sure of exactly how to spill what he knew. "Well, see, Jay called me about an hour ago and told me his grandmother was doing much better, so he was already on his way back home, tonight. He wanted to surprise you, so I told him you were over here and he-"

Emma cut him off. "So, you're saying that Jay's out there somewhere in this snowstorm?"

Spinner sighed and drooped his head down. "Yeah…"

"But, I'm sure he's fine!" Manny jumped in, putting a comforting hand on Emma's shoulder. "Jay can handle a little bad weather, right?"

Emma put on a light smile. "Yeah, of course he can." But, inside, she was beyond worried. She knew this was much more than '_a little bad weather_.'

…Emma's world slowed down around her. Thoughts of Jay being in an accident were all that her brain could produce. Normal functions such as blinking and breathing took a back seat to the real life horror movie playing in her head.

Manny saw the eerie, blank, stare Emma was now wearing. "Uh, Em? Maybe you should sit down."

Emma did not respond. Manny and Jestine both took one of Emma's arms and helped her to the couch.

…An hour passed and Emma was still in the same spot on the couch. Manny, Jestine, Darcy, and Spinner were all sitting around her still watching the news for updates. Emma hung up her cell phone for about the one hundredth time and sighed deeply.

"He's still not answering?" Darcy wondered aloud, even though she already knew the answer.

Emma shook her head.

"Maybe Jay's phone is just off or on silent or something," Manny offered supportively. "He was coming from a hospital. Maybe he didn't want to disturb anyone."

"Yeah, Manny's right," Jestine chimed in, trying to keep things light. "There's no reason to think anything bad has happened to him."

Just then, there was a breaking news message: "We have just received word that a young Caucasian male is in critical condition at Mercy Hospital, after sliding his car into a light post on the corner of Maple and Pine." (Darcy's house was only a few roads down from there.) "His identity has not yet been confirmed. We will bring you more details as they come in. The car he was driving is described as a small four-door and orange-like in color. The exact model and year of the car cannot be determined at this time. Folks, we want to stress again to be safe out there and hold off on all travel plans, if at all possible, until this storm passes…"

Emma silently rose from the couch and went over to put her coat on.

Manny asked the obvious, as calmly as possible. "Emma, where are you going?"

As Emma pulled her coat on, she finally spoke but not to anyone in particular and still had the same strange gaze. "I have to go to the hospital."

"Emma, no. You can't!" Darcy expressed, with concern.

"I have to go see Jay." Emma insisted.

Jestine tried to reason with her. "You don't know that it's him."

"But, I don't know that it's not either." Emma started to walk towards the front door, but Spinner grabbed her waist to stop her. "Let go, Spinner!" she spat.

"Sorry, I can't do that." Spinner was adamant about not letting her go.

"I have to go to him!" Emma shouted.

Manny reiterated. "We don't know it's him."

"Who else could it be?" Emma was hysterical by this point. "Young man. Orange car. You heard that too, right?"

"Yes, but Emma, that could be anybody." Jestine tried to sound convincing. "They even said they didn't know what kind of car it was. You can't be sure that Jay was in that accident."

Emma finally stopped struggling with Spinner but he did not let go yet. "Why hasn't he called?"

No one knew what to say. Spinner was just about to let Emma go when she seized the moment to try to bolt out of his arms, but he quickly tightened his grip again.

"Spinner!" Emma was an emotionally exasperated wreck. "Just let me go!"

"No, I can't." Spinner repeated. "Jay would never forgive me, if I let you go out there and something happened to you."

Darcy stepped in front of the door.

"Please," Emma begged, "I need to know that he's okay!"

Adrenaline helped Emma to finally get the front door open as she pushed past Darcy and with Spinner still trying to hold her back. None of them knew what else to do to keep her there anymore. But, the figure that stood before her, now, in the crisp air, just about to knock on the door, stopped her like nothing else could. It was none other than the one person she loved more than anything else in the world, an unharmed Mr. Jason Hogart.

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**More is coming very soon, I promise! I just love a good cliffhanger! Thanks for reading and reviewing! See you again soon! **


	71. Chapter 71

Everyone was shocked to see Jay standing there. Spinner did not even realize that he was still holding Emma back.

"Spinner, what is this?" Jay raised an eyebrow at his possibly soon-to-be ex-best friend. "I go away for one weekend and you're already all over my girl?"

"What?" Spinner looked down and then quickly let go of Emma, putting his hands up defensively. "It's not what you think."

Darcy came over to Spinner and let him put his arm around her.

Emma, then, threw her arms around Jay's neck. "We heard on the news about how bad the storm was and then they said a guy in an orange car was taken to the hospital. Spinner was just trying to keep me from going out there because I thought…" Emma suddenly wanted to have this conversation in private. "You know what, let's talk outside, okay?" Before Jay had a chance to agree, she pushed him further outside and closed the door behind her.

Manny, Jestine, and Darcy went to the window to watch them. Spinner rolled his eyes at the girls and sat down on the couch to flip through the channels on the TV.

*Outside*

Emma hugged herself as the chill of the night cut through her coat. "So, you're not hurt?"

"Well, that storm was pretty wicked and I had a few close calls, but no, I'm fine."

Emma sighed and nodded in relief. "Good." A moment later, she slapped her hands down on Jay's chest…hard

Jay flew backward, surprised. "Emma, what-"

"How could you do that?[!]" Emma scolded. "How could you take such a huge risk?[!]"

Jay actually felt a slight headache coming on from the mental whiplash. "I wanted to surprise you by coming back early."

"Well, you scared me instead!"

Jay tried to take a few steps closer to Emma in an effort to calm her down. "Look, I'm sorry about that, okay?"

Emma put her hands up in front of her to block him and took a step back. "No, it's not okay!"

"But, Emma, I'm fine."

"That's not the point! That could have just as easily been you in that wreck! I could have lost you tonight!"

Jay was finally able to put his hands on Emma's arms. "But, you didn't. I'm right here."

"You really don't get it, do you?" All of Emma's emotions from earlier that evening were finally pushing their way to the surface, and anger just happened to be the one that spilled over first.

"Get what?" Jay was still confused as to where all of this was coming from.

"This is exactly why I have been so afraid to let myself completely love you, this time around! I didn't want to ever feel like this again. Like I lost everything that ever meant anything to me. But, I was just lying to myself, because even though I couldn't say it, I still felt it." At that moment, Emma had a revelation. "I can't do this."

"You can't do what?" Jay did not know what he was hoping she would say, but what came out next was definitely not it.

"This!" Emma blurted. "You and me!"

"Emma…"

She took another step back. "Ever since you came back from Oregon, it's just been a series of breakdowns for me, but you're still always there to pick up the pieces…"

"But, I don't mind. Some major stuff has happened to you. I want to be here for you."

"And, that's what makes you so amazing, but I need to know what it's like to not need someone else in order to function on a basic level. Even when you were gone, I still waited for you and thought about you every second of every day. I can't handle feeling like this every time you go away anymore."

"Em, please, don't do this," Jay quietly pleaded.

Emma made the difficult choice to ignore him. "I just need some time to find out who I am without you." She could instantly see the hurt in Jay's eyes and the repercussions of what she had just done were already clear. "Please, don't be upset."

"Don't be upset?[!]" Jay could not believe what was happening. "Emma, you're breaking up with me!"

"Please Jay, I need this."

"I thought you needed me. I love you, Emma."

Emma felt her own heart breaking, but her mind was made up. She pressed on, even as the tears started to blur her eyes. "I know, I just…I just need some time."

Jay was rendered speechless. How could he deny her of this, of anything, after everything she had been through? He knew he could not be selfish right now, no matter how badly he wanted to stay and argue his case.

"I'm sorry it had to be like this." Emma's honest remorse only made the situation harder.

"Yeah, me too." Jay turned around and walked to his car.

Emma started to cry. The girls ran out to comfort her and to bring her inside. Spinner went after Jay, leaving his own car behind…

…Spinner hopped into Jay's car just as it peeled away from Darcy's house. "Dude, what happened?"

Jay sighed as he stared straight ahead, heading somewhere else but nowhere at the same time. "She dumped me, man."

"Bummer," Spinner so articulately responded. "Did she say why?"

Jay gripped the steering wheel tighter. "She said she just needed some time, without me, to find herself, or whatever."

"But, she's crazy about you." Spinner was having just as hard a time believing this as Jay was. "She spent the whole night worried sick over you."

"I know. That's what I don't get. She pretty much told me she loved me, only not in those words, and then in the same breath she says she can't be with me. That girl drives me nuts sometimes, Spin…but I still can't help but love her."

"Yeah, I heard that."

Jay ran a frustrated hand through his hair and then went back to white-knuckling the steering wheel. "So, what do I do now? Should I give her the space she wants or go right back to her?"

"Man, I don't know." Spinner shrugged. "Girls are complicated."

Jay sighed deeply again. "Yeah, tell me about it…"

…Back inside Darcy's house, the girls were pressing Emma for details.

Manny put her hand on Emma's shoulder. "Emma, what happened?"

Emma wiped at her tears with the back of her hands. "We broke up."

"What? Why?" Darcy gasped.

Emma sniffled and shrugged her shoulders. "I just finally realized that it's not fair to Jay for me to lean so hard on him and that I need some time to deal with my issues by myself for once."

"But Em, it's not as if you're twisting his arm to be there for you." Manny gently tugged Emma over to the couch, where all of the girls sat down. "He loves you and I know he would do anything for you. And, I also know that you love him just as much."

Emma glared at Manny. It annoyed Emma to know that she had lost herself so much that her best friend now knew her better than she knew herself.

"She's right Emma," Jestine added. "I would kill for what you two have. Your relationship has been through so many tests and yet you were still happily together. So, why end it now?"

"I don't know. I just thought it would be easier for both of us, if we took a little break."

"But, you do still love him, don't you?" Manny pushed.

Emma sighed. "Yes, okay?[!] I do…There. Are you happy now?"

"Honestly?" Manny frowned. "I'm just more confused now than I was before."

"Yeah, well, join the club." Emma gave a weak attempt at blowing a few strands of her hair out of her face, but they just came right back down into the same place. She rolled her eyes and tucked the hair behind her ear. "I just hope I did the right thing…"

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**I know that was probably frustrating, but it is all part of the big picture. I will update again very soon! Until then, thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	72. Chapter 72

**First of all, sorry it has been forever since I have posted a new chapter. It has just been one thing after another. The Olympics were a huge distraction for me, and then I have had internet problems for the last couple of weeks. But, all systems are go, now!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything having to do with the song lyrics used in this chapter.**

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It has been about six weeks since Emma decided to take a break from Jay. Jay had stopped coming to school on a regular basis because it was too difficult for him to see Emma around and not be with her. He, instead, showed up on occasion, just long enough to turn in or receive assignments to keep his grades just above failing status. He had left behind the desire to try any harder than that. Emma was the only one who could ever bring that side of him out.

It wasn't all sunshine and roses for Emma either, though. She really missed Jay. They had not spoken much during the six weeks, partly because Jay was definitely avoiding her, but also because she did not know how to act or what to say when they did see each other. It was really driving them crazy to not be together. Emma was, however, learning how to take care of herself again and was beginning to deal with her emotions in healthier ways. Her biggest realization, though, was that she and Jay really did need each other to help deal with her miscarriage, if either of them had any hope of moving on from it. Jay may not have known that Emma was once pregnant until long after it was too late, but he was still going to be the father of that child. No one else on earth could help either of them deal with a loss like that better than the two of them…together. Emma did not regret taking the time away from Jay because, among other healthy things, it made her positively sure that with Jay is where she wanted to be. She was ready to give her whole heart to him once again…That is, if Jay still wanted her to.

The only problem was that Emma had to see Jay again in order to tell him how she felt. By this point, Jay had gone three straight days without going anywhere near anyplace Emma might be. It was pure luck that just as Emma was leaving school for the fourth day without a Jay sighting, Jay was also leaving from having just turned in a paper on "that Shakespeare guy." Emma grazed someone's arm with hers as she walked down the main hallway. When she turned to look at whom it was, she saw Jay looking back at her. They stopped walking and stood there in front of each other.

Uneasily, Jay spoke first. "Hey."

Emma flashed him a quick, half, smile. "Hey."

There was a long pause.

Then, simultaneously, they asked the same question. "Can we talk?"

They both sighed with relief and, again, spoke at the same time. "Yeah, sure."

Smiles crept across both of their faces, but a moment later Emma shyly looked away. When she finally looked up again, Jay gestured toward the front door. They walked outside and sat down at a picnic table by the basketball court. Again, there was a long pause.

Neither of them knew how to start, but they ended up gathering the courage to say something at exactly the same time once more. They both took a breath and stopped talking over each other just as quickly as they had started.

Jay raised an eyebrow. "Sorry. You go first."

Emma spoke, on her own, for the first time. "I don't even really know what I was going to say except that, I'm sorry I hurt you."

"No," Jay felt even more guilty by the fact that Emma actually thought she needed to apologize for anything, "I was being selfish. I was just away from you for so long. When I finally got you back, I didn't want to let you out of my sight. But, I never thought about you needing your own time."

Emma shook her head, "That's not what this was about. I didn't know exactly what I needed either. I just knew that the physical pain I felt every time you left my side couldn't be normal. I needed to know that the strong, independent, me was still here somewhere. You helped me find that person again better than anyone else could. It just took me this little bit of time alone, to believe in my own strength again, before I could be any good to anyone in my life, but especially you. You deserve a whole person, not the broken one I have been ever since your parents sent you away and I had the miscarriage."

All Jay wanted to do was wrap Emma up into his arms, but he still was not sure where their relationship stood. "Yeah, it's been rough, but I-"

"No, wait!" Emma cut him off with a burst of confidence. "Before you say anything else, I want you to know that I am ready to accept that pain is a part of life and that if nothing bad ever happened, we wouldn't know when to really appreciate the good moments in life. I appreciate every second I ever had with you. I love you, Jay. And, I want…I want to be with you."

Jay's whole face instantly lit up. "I love you, too."

"You do?" Emma raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised that Jay still had feelings for her even after everything she had put him through.

"Of course I do. I never stopped loving you, Em."

"But, I just thought-" Emma cut herself off to let out a much needed breath that she had not even realized she had been holding until just then. "…You _have_ been avoiding me lately."

"Because, I was giving you space," Jay answered, honestly. "I thought that's what you wanted."

Emma lowered her head. "Yeah, it was. I had a lot of time to think about things and I realized that I always loved you too, I was just scared…" She looked up at Jay. "But, I'm not scared anymore. I want to be with you more, now, than I ever have before."

Emma and Jay stood up at the same time.

"I feel the same way." Jay smiled and tucked a piece of Emma's hair behind her left ear.

They shared a very sweet and passionate kiss.

Emma pulled away first and declared, "I love you…I love you, I love you, I love you. I…love…you!"

Jay chuckled. "And, I love _you_, basket case and all."

"Hey!"

"Beautiful basket case?" Jay joked.

Emma nodded. "That's better."

They both laughed. As they started to walk home, Jay put his arm around Emma's shoulders. Emma hugged Jay's waist with one arm in front and one in back and then she rested her head on Jay's shoulder. The scene fades out to the song _Ever the Same_ by Rob Thomas from Jay's POV, as they continue on their way:

_We were drawn from the weeds  
We were brave like soldiers  
Falling down under the pale moonlight  
You were holding to me  
Like a someone broken  
And I couldn't tell you but I'm telling you now_

_Just let me hold you while you're falling apart_  
_Just let me hold you and we'll both fall down_

_Fall on me_  
_Tell me everything you want me to be_  
_Forever with you forever in me_  
_Ever the same_

_We would stand in the wind_  
_We were free like water_  
_Flowing down_  
_Under the warmth of the sun_  
_Now it's cold and we're scared_  
_And we've both been shaken_  
_Hey, look at us_  
_Man, this doesn't need to be the end_

_Just let me hold you while you're falling apart_  
_Just let me hold you and we'll both fall down_

_Fall on me tell me everything you want me to be_  
_Forever with you_  
_Forever in me_  
_Ever the same_  
_Call on me_  
_I'll be there for you and you'll be there for me_  
_Forever it's you_  
_Forever in me_  
_Ever the same_

_You may need me there_  
_To carry all your weight_  
_But you're no burden I assure_  
_You tide me over_  
_With a warmth I'll not forget_  
_But I can only give you love_

_Fall on me tell me everything you want me to be_  
_Forever with you_  
_Forever in me_  
_Ever the same_  
_Call on me_  
_I'll be there for you and you'll be there for me_  
_Forever it's you_  
_Forever in me_  
_Ever the same_

_Forever with you_  
_Forever in me_  
_Ever the same(Ever the same)_

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**Only about 2-3 more chapters to go! Thanks for being so patient, reading, and reviewing! I will be back with more soon!**


	73. Chapter 73

Three and a half blissfully happy months later was the morning of Emma and Jay's high school graduation. The graduating seniors all had to be at Degrassi two hours before the ceremony, already in their cap and gown. A bunch of them were in the hall, where they were supposed to wait, just talking.

As Jay walked in, he went right over to Emma and some of their other friends. "Hey, Em? Can you believe it? I'm actually graduating!"

"I know I can't," Manny snarked.

Their other friends burst into uproarious laughter.

Jay over exaggerated a sarcastic laugh.

"Manny!" Emma sent a reprimanding look in her best friend's direction as she took her boyfriend's hand and gave him a peck on his lips to try to mend his now slightly wounded ego.

"What?" Manny feigned helplessness. "I just couldn't resist."

Emma smiled, shook her head, and rolled her eyes.

"Aw, come on Em," Spinner joined in, "he walked right into that one."

Darcy came to her own boyfriend's defense. "Yeah, Jay, you kinda did."

"Hey! What is this? Gang up on Jay day? This is supposed to be one of the best days of our lives. Why are you all tainting it for me?"

After Jay's overly sensitive remarks, Emma finally joined in on the mocking. "Poor baby." She giggled and tried to kiss Jay again, but he dodged his head away.

"Et tu?" Jay put on his ultimately betrayed face.

Emma stuck out her bottom lip and tried to look as pathetic as possible until Jay finally gave in and kissed her. She smiled, then, spotted two very familiar people. "JT! Liberty! Get over here and join us!"

After a bit of a break from their relationship highs and lows, JT and Liberty realized they belonged together, so they got back together. Lakehurst never merged with Degrassi…Presently, JT and Liberty obeyed Emma and came over hand-in-hand. Of course, Liberty had a massive amount of honor chords around her neck as opposed to JT's one satisfactory GPA chord and his one pin acknowledging him as the school mascot. They all talked and caught up. Before long, Toby had joined and then Jimmy and Ashley. Jestine was only finishing up her junior year at the time, but sent a congratulatory text to all of her girlfriends that morning. Shortly thereafter a little more chit-chat, it was time for the ceremony to begin. Jay and Emma had to enter from opposite sides of the auditorium because A-M had to sit on the right side and N-Z had to sit on the left. So, they had to separate until the end of the ceremony. They walked away from their friends for a quick, private, moment.

Jay pushed a bit of Emma's hair, that had loosened from the hold of her graduation cap and into her face, back behind her ear. "Bye, beautiful."

"Bye, Mr. Sensitive." Emma playfully winked at him.

"Don't fall on stage when you get your diploma, okay?" Jay teased back.

"Oh, yeah, thanks a lot!" Sarcasm dripped from the corners of Emma's mouth. "Just get out of here!" She playfully pushed Jay backward, away from her.

Jay laid a strong hand on Emma's back and pulled her very close to him. "Is this how it's gonna be? You tease me, I tease you and on and on for the rest of our lives?"

Emma smiled. "Yep…and like this." She kissed him, hard, and then pulled back definitely leaving him wanting.

"Now, that, I can handle." Jay smirked his infamous smirk, then his eyes went to Emma's left hand, which was planted on the right side of Jay's chest at the moment. "It looks good on you, you know?"

He took her left hand into his right one to get a better look at the engagement ring he had put there just one week earlier. It wasn't much because he did not have a whole lot of money, but his parents helped him out and it _was_ beautiful in its classic gold band and small center diamond way.

"I know." Emma smiled and kissed him again. "I love you."

"_I_ love _you_," Jay articulated back. It was, then, time for Jay to join his line for the ceremony.

Everyone lined up quickly and began to get excited. The graduation song started and they walked into the auditorium from both sides and took their seats. Liberty, the valedictorian, gave a short and sweet speech on behalf of her class. Then, Mrs. H. gave a speech about how proud she was of the class for making it this far after everything they had been through. After that, it was finally time to receive the diplomas.

Mrs. H. began to call out the names in alphabetical order. "…James Brookes…Darcy Edwards…Jason Hogart."

Jay looked back at Emma, smiled, took his ticket out of Degrassi from Mrs. H., and looked to his parents who were beaming with pride right alongside Emma's parents.

"…Toby Issacs…Ashley Kerwin…Gavin 'Spinner' Mason…Emma Nelson-Simpson."

Emma let out a sigh of relief. She made it through high school and was about to embark on a brand new life with her soon-to-be husband, Jay. She couldn't have been happier in that moment.

"…Manuella Santos…Liberty Vanzant…and last but not least, James Tiberius Yorke…Congratulations, Degrassi class of 2007!"

The graduates threw their caps up into the air and then began the hugging frenzy as they dispersed to congratulate each other and reunite with their friends. Jay and Emma eventually made their way to each other and hugged excitedly.

"This is really it! We made it!" Emma squealed as her enthusiasm spilled over.

"It's only the beginning, beautiful, only the beginning. I love you, Emma."

"I love you, too, Jay."

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One more, brief, chapter to go! I will try to get it up within this next week. Thanks for reading and reviewing! See again soon!


	74. Chapter 74

**The final chapter:**

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Emma and Jay waited about a year before getting married as per their parents' suggestion given their history for abrupt breakups. But, they never did come across any more problems they could not deal with together and any trust issues Emma had just went out the window the day she realized that Jay would _always_ be there for her.

After graduation, Emma and Jay moved to New York just below the Canadian border. Jay got into a community college there and Emma is going to a small four-year college in the same area, so they got an apartment there, together.

Manny, however, stayed closer to home and is attending Toronto University. Emma and Manny try to visit each other as much as they can and stay up to date on each other's lives with weekly phone calls and/or video chats…

*May 8, 2009, two years after graduation*

Manny comes out of her apartment and goes to her mailbox. She flips through her bills and then comes across a letter with a return address that reads: **Mr. and Mrs. Jason Hogart**. She rips open the envelope with excitement and pulls out the fancy, white, cardstock with gold trim. Manny becomes increasingly giddy as she reads the black print:

**Jason and Emma Hogart announce **

**the birth of: Michael Scott Hogart**

**May 1, 2009 **

**7lbs 4oz.**

**General Hospital, New York**

Manny runs back into her apartment and immediately calls Emma. She apologizes for not being able to be there for the birth because she had exams and they make plans for Manny to go visit the new Hogart family.

…And, so it ends with more love than some could ever dream of.

THE END

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**Thank you so much for reading and staying with me during all of the long gaps in chapter updates. If you enjoyed this and are interested in reading another story by me, please check out, Let It Be Me (another Jemma). The first chapter was posted just moments ago. I hope to see you there! Thanks again for reading and reviewing!**


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